The Ten Doctors
by Lady-Sci-Fi
Summary: Takes place between my ST: DS9 stories Death's Shadow and The Place I Called Home. This is the last adventure Tengu and Julian Bashir have with The Doctor and Rose. A life and death situation involving all the Doctors is not what they had in mind.
1. Chapter 1

The Ten Doctors

Chapter 1

We arrived on Earth in 2006 so that Rose could visit her mother before the Doctor took my husband, Julian Bashir, and I on one last adventure.

"You're not Human," were Mickey Smith's first words to me after I stepped out of the TARDIS.

"How do you know?"

"Your tongue is purple."

"Ricky, stop being rude," the Doctor said.

Mickey rolled his eyes at the Time Lord. "Human or not, pleased to meet you," he said, shaking my hand.

"At least it's not just you and the Doctor," Jackie Tyler commented to her daughter.

"Mum!"

We had only been in London for a couple of hours when the Doctor collapsed. Rose and I instantly kneeled to check him over. I touched his forehead and one of his memories played in my mind.

"Cosmic angst… A man is only the sum of his memories, especially Time Lords… need to get back to the TARDIS…" I said aloud.

Rose quickly said good-bye to her mother and Mickey as Julian and I carried the Doctor to the time/spaceship.

"Now what?" the blonde woman asked after following us and closing the door.

"I take it that something like this hasn't happened before," Julian said.

Rose shook her head.

"Not with Rose," I answered.

Suddenly, the TARDIS console column started rising and falling.

"Don't start worrying yet," I said.

Minutes later, when we had landed, Rose asked, "Can we worry yet?"

Then the column started again. "Get out, now," I ordered.

The second we and the unconscious Doctor made it out of the TARDIS, the time/spaceship started dematerializing.

"Where are we?" Julian inquired, looking around at the desolate landscape.

"Gallifrey," the Doctor answered, sitting up.

"Gallifrey?" Rose echoed. "But, you said it was destroyed and you couldn't-"

"This means that someone is severely breaking the laws of time," I said.

"Isn't the Doctor the last Time Lord?"

"I am. Which makes finding who did this all the more important. Which way, Tengu?"

The Doctor and I led on. There weren't any distinctive landmarks yet. I asked, "Never thought you'd be back in the Death Zone, did you?" The Doctor shook his head.

It wasn't until an hour later until we saw signs of life in the form of Daleks. There was a semicircle. Facing the Daleks, their backs to a cliff edge, were two men. One wore a purple velvet jacket and black cape and had fluffy white hair. The other wore a long brownish jacket and a long scarf and had curly brown hair.

The Doctor beside me groaned. I allowed myself to smile.

"You are not to be exterminated," a Dalek said to the two men.

The men glanced at each other for an instant. The curly-haired one grinned and said, "That's more like it."

"Perhaps, if you would tell us what exactly is going on?" requested the white-haired man.

"You will be silent," the lead Dalek ordered as the group of them moved forward. The two men took another step back at the threat. One more step and off the cliff they'd go.

"Oi, Daleks, over here!" the Doctor called out.

The second the war-machines turned to see us, I used the Force to crush their armor. One Dalek wasn't as badly damaged as the rest and let off a shot at the two men on the cliff edge. The velvet-clad one dropped to the ground in response. The scarf-wearing one jumped back in surprise. He teetered at the cliff's edge for a second, then fell backwards.

Without a second thought, I ran and dived after him. I knew there was a fast-moving, white rapids river below. The curly-haired man hit the water and was instantly carried off down the rocky rapids. I swam after him as best I could.

Finally, I was able to grasp his scarf and pull myself to him. "Nice day for a swim," he commented.

I shook my head. "Not now. Look behind you."

The man's eyes widened when he saw that we were heading straight for a waterfall. I lost hold of him when we went over. I crashed into the water after he did, nearly hitting my head on a rock.

I surfaced, quickly glanced around, and dove back under when I didn't see him. Heavy wet cloth trailed over my legs. The curly-haired man was unconscious, floating underwater. A thin stream of blood trailed upward from a cut above his eye.

I pulled him up and, once in the calmer part of the river, turned him over onto his back and towed him to the river bank. I checked his heartsbeat and respiration. They were slightly slowed, but would regulate soon.

"Tengu!" I heard Julian call out. He, the Doctor, Rose, and the velvet-jacketed man were sprinting down the slope towards us. Once they reached us, my husband remarked, "Next time, a warning before leaping off a cliff would be nice."

"How is he?" inquired the Doctor and the white-haired man in unison.

"He'll be fine in a minute," I answered. Without turning my gaze from the unconscious man, I called out, "Miss Smith, Miss Grant, come from hiding. I know you're there."

The two young women emerged from behind a boulder and slowly approached. At that moment, the unconscious man bolted upright.

I greeted, "Hello, Doctor."


	2. Chapter 2

Once again, I seem to have forgotten this. takes deep breath

Disclaimer: Anything unrecognizable is mine. Doctor Who belongs to BBC. Star Trek belongs to Paramount.

Now then, personal note. This will not be a nice story. I may even up the rating to M later.

On with the show…

Chapter 2

"The Doctor is to your left," Rose replied, obviously confused.

"I'll explain later," Rose's Doctor replied.

Jo Grant and Sarah Jane Smith embraced their Doctors upon reuniting.

The Doctor in the scarf cocked his head at me. "Do I know you? You seem so familiar."

"You haven't changed one bit, Doctor… relatively speaking," I responded.

"Doesn't she look familiar, Sarah?" he asked his best friend. His gaze came back to me. "Be a good girl and give me a hint."

"Skonia," I supplied.

"Skonia? But, the only person we knew there was a little girl," said Sarah.

I just smiled as I helped them to their feet.

"Tengu?" they realized at the same time.

I nodded before pulling them both into a group hug. Sarah was now a few inches shorter than me, this Doctor a few inches taller. "Doctor, Sarah Jane," I addressed in greeting.

"But-but it's only been a few months," said Sarah.

"You forget, Sarah, that time is relative. It's only been a few months for us," Sarah's Doctor corrected.

"Tengu, how long has it been for you?" asked Sarah.

"Sixteen years. I'm twenty-one now."

"Alright, as much as I hate to break up this little reunion, but do any of you know what's going on?" inquired Rose. Her Doctor had already explained to her how both new men could be the Doctor as well.

"Someone is breaking the laws of time and bringing us together, again," answered the Doctor with the white hair.

I held up my hand. "Before anything else is said, Doctors, we're going to have to name you all differently. I suggest by which life you are."

The three Doctors nodded.

"The question is: who would bring us here, and why," said Four.

"It can't be a Time Lord," stated Nine.

"Why not?" asked Three and Four.

"There are no other Time Lords in my time."

"Doctor- I mean, Three," Jo addressed. "How did we get here and why were we separated? We didn't come by TARDIS."

"Neither did we," said Sarah. "One minute we were running towards a building, the next we were here, separated."

Interesting," commented Julian. "We came by TARDIS."

"Where is it?" asked Three.

"It disappeared after we came out," answered Rose.

"Where is here, anyway?" Sarah inquired.

"Gallifrey," the three Doctors and I said in unison. Three continued, "The Death Zone, to be specific."

Julian said, "What do you say to getting a move on? There were some Daleks earlier. Who knows what else will come."

"Tengu, which way do we go?" Four prompted.

I closed my eyes for a quick moment. "We should follow the river."

"We're bound to find more people on the way, right?" asked Jo. The Doctors nodded.

We followed the river. Nine, Three, Rose, and Jo took the lead. Four, Sarah, Julian, and I trailed a few yards behind. We wanted to do some catching up.

"You said that it's been sixteen years," Sarah remarked, looking up at me. "Oh, this'll take some getting used to. Only a few months ago I was looking down at you."

I smiled. "This is Doctor Julian Bashir, my husband," I introduced.

"Medical doctor?" asked Sarah. "What time are you from?"

"Stardate 2356," Julian answered.

"That'sover 300 years into your future, Sarah," commented Four.

Sarah shook her head. "Little Tengu, all grown up and married."

"Not little anymore. I'm only three years younger than you."

"You seem to have a… timeless quality about you, like the Doctor."

"Yes, I notice that," said Four. "But why?"

I stated, "I was your tenth life for a brief period of time."

Four and Sarah stopped dead in their tracks. "Did I- did I hear you right?" Sarah sputtered. "You were the Doctor?"

Julian and I told related those events to our astounded friends.

"It was strange. She would just switch from herself to one of your various selves," said Julian.

"Then I passed out in the middle of a counseling session."

"Why?" inquired the young woman.

"Growing a second heart was apparently more than my body could bear in a conscious state. Then I tried to hop in the TARDIS and leave Rose. She and Julian stopped me, and I transferred the Doctor back to Nine's body."

Sarah let out a low whistle. "Quite a story." She started laughing. "You, Doctor, a woman."

Four sighed. "Only you would find such humor in that."

"Come on," I prompted. "We're getting too far behind."

The other half of our group was crouching down to look at something. A panama hat, a red-handled umbrella, and a black leather jacket were strewn across the ground.

"Those used to be mine," Nine said of the hat and umbrella. "And that jacket was Ace's."

I kneeled down. "Let's find out what happened to them," I remarked before touching the objects.

"_Okay, Professor, where are we and how did we get here?" asked Ace. "We weren't anywhere near the TARDIS, you know."_

"_Gallifrey," replied the seventh Doctor. "The Death Zone, to be precise. I've got a rather nasty feeling…"_

"_Hard not to, when the place is named that."_

"_Someone purposely brought us here. Another Time Lord. You see, Ace, this has happened to me before."_

"_I thought you were the rebellious Time Lord. What could they possibly want with you?"_

"_Being a renegade doesn't stop them from interfering with my lives. The High Council, Borusa, Omega, the Valyard…. In any case, Ace, don't be surprised if we meet someone who introduces himself as the Doctor."_

"_Isn't that against the Laws of Time?"_

"_It is, technically."_

"_You said this happened-"_

"_See, Jamie? I told you there were signs of life," called a small man from the top of a hill to someone behind him. He didn't wait for his friend to reply before he hurried down the slope to Ace and Seven. _

"_Hello, Doctor," greeted Seven._

_The second Doctor looked his future incarnation over. "Oh dear. It's happened again, hasn't it?"_

_A young man in a Scottish kilt and black turtleneck appeared at the top of the hill. He hurried down the slope as well, sliding down half of it._

"_Jamie, remember when I warned you what might happen?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Well, it's happened. This is a future me. Life number?"_

"_Seven," said the slightly taller Doctor._

"_My seventh self. Well, at least you're not vertically superior." _

"_Good things come to those who wait in small packages."_

_After introductions, they started walking. To where, none of them knew. They came to a river and began following it. It wasn't long before something bad happened. _

_Seven shoved Ace into the river just before something large and scaly tackled him._

"_Professor!" the girl cried after surfacing and hauling herself up onto land. _

_Seven, Jamie, and Two were struggling against their attackers. Ace rammed her shoulder into the closest one, freeing Jamie's Doctor. "Run!" Seven and Scottish boy shouted._

_With a quick glance to each other, Two and Ace took off running. They didn't get very far before one creature grabbed the back of Ace's bomber jacket. She maneuvered out of it and kept going after the black-suited Doctor. Suddenly, more reptilians appeared in front of them, affectively trapping them between the two groups. Two and Ace stood back-to-back, watching the creatures. _

"_You will come with us," the lead reptilian said. _

"_Where? Why?" asked Ace, looking for a way out. _

_The answer she got was a fist across her face. Another blow and she was down._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"They've been taken," I said. "Seven, Two, Ace, and Jamie. They met up miles that way and were ambushed here. We've missed them by nearly a day. Nine, I think we were the last to arrive."

"How do you know all that?" asked Jo.

"I can see the past or future. And sometimes the present. Come on."

We took Ace's jacket and Seven's hat with us, in case I could see anything else pertaining to them. Several uneventful hours later, we came across the ripped remains of a suit jacket and a few shreds of black cloth. I kneeled down and placed a hand on the jacket.

"_What the devil…?" said Ian Chesterton. _

"_We were just in a forest. How did we get here?" asked Barbara Wright. "We weren't even in the Ship."_

_Ian took a few steps forward. "Doctor! Susan!" he called out. "They were right ahead of us." _

"_We might have been the only ones… who got here. Where ever here is." _

"_I say that we find someone and ask them," Ian suggested. _

"_Are you really considering asking for directions?" Barbara teased._

_Ian half-smiled. "Come on."_

_A short time later, they made it to the river. They spent a few minutes discussing what to do next when a group of reptilians with long clawed hands approached stealthily from behind. Ian ad Barbara didn't hear them and let out cries of surprise when they were attacked. The two teachers put up a good fight, but were no match for the superior strength and weaponry of the reptilians. _

_The attackers left the two Humans unconscious on the ground. They pressed a button on their wristbands and disappeared. _

_Barbara was first to come to. She crawled to her friend and shook his shoulder. "Ian, wake up. Wake up," she prompted._

_He bolted upright. "Where are they?"_

"_I don't know, but they left us here," Barbara answered as she helped him to his feet. "They're bound to come back."_

_Ian nodded before they started running towards the forest._

"Ian and Barbara. They let them go. But why?" I stood up. My eyes widened when I realized how long ago the two teachers had woken up. Barely forty-five minutes. "We can still catch them," I said to my friends. "Try to keep up."

Without another word, I sprinted to the thick forest, using the Force to aid my speed. I didn't slow when I got to the tree line. Tree trunks and branches whipped 

past me. I also noticed the crimson trail of blood one of the teachers had left on the purple-green leaves.

I finally stopped running about thirty minutes later and listened. My claws extended and I ducked out of the way as a long thick branch headed for my face. I kicked the branch from Ian's hand, grabbed his wrist, twisted it behind him, and pushed him against a tree, holding him still.

Barbara had picked up the branch and approached from behind to swing it. Keeping my hold on Ian, I turned and outstretched a clawed hand, stopping when the steel was a millimeter from her throat. She instantly stopped the branch's momentum and let out a small cry when I wrenched it from her hands with the Force. Ian struggled against my hold. "Leave her alone! Don't you dare hurt her!"

"I'm not here to hurt you," I replied. "If I let you go, will you attack me?"

"No," Ian and Barbara answered.

I let go of the science teacher and withdrew my claws from the history teacher's throat. I kept my claws extended, in case of trouble. "My name is Tengu. I'm a very good friend of the Doctor. At least, I will be."

"We're-" started Barbara.

"I already know who you are. Listen…" I explained everything I knew to the two Humans. They found it hard to believe that there were nine Doctors, but they accepted the fact.

"Tengu?" I heard my friends call out. "Tengu?"

"Over here," I called back. Then I remembered the blood I had seen on the leaves. "Ian, you're injured," I informed before lifting the side of his shirt.

Four shallow gashes went across his ribs and part of his back. "Why haven't I felt it?" Ian asked.

"You're both still on an adrenaline rush. Very understandable. You'll feel it in about an hour," I responded.

My friends hurried into view, all breathing heavily. Sarah remarked, "I don't think anyone can keep up with you.

I teased," Don't worry. I'm done running, for the moment."

"That moment had better be long," said Jo.

We had only been waking for about an hour when Rose asked, "How much longer are we going to be in this forest?"

With a smile, I jumped up into a tree and climbed to the top, until I could see above the tree canopy. "Hey, Rose," I called down. "I hope you weren't planning on seeing anything but trees for the next couple of days," I said before dropping down and landing cat-like in front of my husband.

"Show-off," chided Julian as we walked hand-in-hand in front of the group.

I nearly smiled as I picked up a cream-colored hat from the ground and flipped it onto my head. "Nine, remember when we- you used to be blonde?"

"Blonde?" Sarah and Rose echoed to their respective Doctors.

"Hasn't happened yet," Four said.

Nine reluctantly nodded to Rose. "It was quite blonde." Rose bit back laugh. "Nine asked me, "Where is my fifth self?"

"Not far and not in any immediate danger," I replied as we stepped into a small clearing. On the opposite side was a suspended net. In the net were two people. I grinned and raced over to them.

"Ah, hello," greeted the fifth Doctor. "Would you kindly get us down?"

I extended a set of claws and sliced through the bottom of the net. Five and his companion fell to the ground.

"He did say kindly, you know," said the woman with short brown hair.

"You're welcome, Miss Jovanka," I said.

"Sorry. Thank you," she amended.

Five glanced over my shoulder. "Oh dear, it's happening again, isn't it? How many of me are there now?"

"Nine," I answered when the Doctors and my- their companions caught up. By now, night was making itself known.

We camped in the clearing for the night. It was then I noticed the physical strangeness of our bodies. It wasn't until the next morning that a Human noticed.

Jo observed, "Strange. We walked all day yesterday and slept the night. Why am I not hungry?"

"Took you Humans long enough," I commented. "We're not going to find any answers by sitting here. Besides, there are still three of me- Doctors unaccounted for."

"You're saying that we can get tired, but we can't get hungry?" asked Julian after we started back on our journey.

I nodded. "Fascinating, isn't it?"

"But what could possibly do that to us?"

"Not what. Who? Someone is playing a game with us. With the Doctor. But, who and why?"

"But Gallifrey burned. The Time Lords died."

"Making whoever has brought us here all the more dangerous."


	4. Chapter 4

So, the question is: How can this be a Ten Doctors story when there are only nine (in my universe). Those who read my story Death's Shadow probably know…

Chapter 4

I abruptly stopped some time later and looked up. Vines hung down from the trees. The ends of a few of them were frayed. One was still tied in a loop and had a shoe caught in it.

"Clever," Five said. "No one ever thinks twice about vines in a forest. Those weren't obvious traps."

"I'd be very disappointed in ourselves if it were," replied Three.

I called the shoe to my hand with the Force.

"_No, I've got no idea how we got here," said an Edwardian man with shoulder-length wavy brown hair._

"_We were in Shanghai one minute, then this forest the next," supported a brown-haired, fair-skinned woman._

"_The same happened to us," replied a woman wearing denim shorts and a nearly skin-tight blue shirt._

'"_Why are we here?' is the real question," said a blonde and curly-haired man wearing a clashing rainbow of colors._

"_Where is here?" inquired the brown-haired Grace Halloway. _

"_The Death Zone on Gallifrey," answered the multi-colored sixth Doctor and the Edwardian eighth Doctor._

"_Wait a minute," said Peri Brown. "You told me that meeting yourself is against the Laws of Time."_

_The two Doctors stopped walking and turned to the two women. "Technically it-"_

_The four of them let out surprised shouts as the vine snares hauled them up above the ground by their feet. This left them dangling upside-down, the tops of their heads a couple of yards above the ground._

"_Simple, but effective," Six commented._

_Eight gasped. "I think my ankle is twisted." The snare was holding him up by one ankle, instead of both, like everyone else. But most of the vine was around his shoe. "Wait, I think I can…" He dropped to the ground after maneuvering his foot out of his shoe. "Grace, I'm going to help you down first," Eight said, preparing to climb a tree._

_Before Eight could even start climbing, a loud voice said from a short distance away, "Our master will be very pleased."_

"_Get out of here," Six hissed to Eight. "Go!" _

_With a quick nod to Grace, Eight took off in a limping run through the trees. A moment later, the same loud voice said, "One got away. Find him."_

_The eighth Doctor ran as fast as he could, limited by his injured ankle. Deeper into the never-ending forest._

_A large clawed hand suddenly shot out from between two trees and grabbed Eight's hair as he rushed past. The reptilian yanked him ack and shoved him to the ground. _

"_Who are you working for?" asked Eight._

"_You'll find out soon enough," the hunter snarled before he thrust his claws into the Time Lord's shoulder and hauled him up. He slammed his back against a tree._

_Eight screamed as the reptilian hunter plunged his claws deep into his thigh and dragged them down halfway to his knee. _

"_Oh, your screams are so exquisite. Do it again," the hunter commented._

"_Your employer will punish you for hurting me."_

"_Nah, don't think so. My master said to bring you back alive, not necessarily uninjured," the reptilian replied before taking out a small syringe and forcing it into Eight's neck. Soon after he pulled it out, the Time Lord's breathing turned rapid and ragged. _

"_Leave him alone! Let me go!" cried Grace as she, Peri, and Six were force-walked into the area, all three being held tightly by reptilians. "Stop! Don't hurt him!"_

_The lead hunter turned to Eight. "Your mate cares for you."_

"_Not my… mate. My friend."_

"_Not your friend. Your mate." The leader slammed a fist into Eight's stomach. Then he turned to the rest of the group. Grace was fighting against her restrainer. "Let the woman go to her mate," he ordered. _

_Grace's guard tentatively let her go. The leader pulled his claws from Eight's leg and pushed him forward. The eighth Doctor stumbled and collapsed into Grace's arms, pressing his face into her neck. _

"_Grace…" he whispered before the sedative drug overtook his senses._

"Six, Eight, Peri, and Grace are gone. They were taken by the same hunters who attacked you, Ian and Barbara," I said.

"But, why did they let us go?" asked Ian.

"I don't know, but someone is playing a very dangerous game with us." I let out a deep sigh when I realized something. "Nine, I think I know why I'm here."

"It's only obvious, isn't it?" Rose remarked. "Whoever happened to be travelling with the Doctor got transported here."

"Yes, that is true. But there's something about me that none of you others could ever possess. If Julian hadn't convinced me to give Nine's life back to him, I'd be the tenth Doctor. Whoever is behind this knows and understands that."

Three nodded. "That might explain your occasional slips of the tongue, in regards to pronouns."

I sighed. "Come on, we've still got the original unaccounted for."

"And we all know how important he is," Tegan muttered.

I finally caught their scent about four hours later. Without a word of warning, I took off running, aided by the Force. I stopped a good twenty minutes after.

I saw One and Susan walking about fifty yards away. With a smile, I silently got closer. Then I grabbed Susan from behind in what I hoped was a hug. She didn't see it that way and shrieked.

One instantly turned and brandished his walking stick at me. "Whoever you are, let go of my granddaughter."

Confused, I turned Susan around to face me. I placed my hands on her shoulders. "Susan, my child, don't you recognize me?"

"I've never seen you before. Grandfather, have you?"

"No."

"But, Susan, I've missed you so much. In some ways, I regret the decision I made…" I said, enveloping the Gallifreyan teenager in an embrace.

The white-haired man pulled her from my hold. "Who are you?" he asked.

I leaned back against a tree and slid down its trunk until I was sitting. "I…I don't… I don't know."


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry this took so long. Moving and getting ready to go to University take a lot of time… not to mention I had no internet access. Any way, hope you enjoy.

Chapter 5

One crouched in front of me. Susan sat back on her heels.

"Ten… Ten… yes, Ten sounds about right," I realized.

"There are ten of me now?"

"Yes, I guess so."

"Are you alone?" asked Susan.

I shook my head. "My companions and the rest of me- us are coming." I reached out and took Susan's hands. "I am sorry for frightening you. I didn't realize… the change was too great for you to have recognized me.

"It's alright," the girl replied.

One stood and gestured for Susan. They huddled together a few yards away, in the hope that I wouldn't hear. Needless to say, I heard everything.

"Grandfather, what are we going to do about her? I mean, she's obviously disturbed and amnesiac."

"She said her friends were coming. But what if she really is alone?"

"Grandfather, she's whacked. She can't be you."

"And why not, my dear?"

"She's a woman."

"That's the chance you take with regeneration. You never know what you'll end up with. Although, gender-switching is rare indeed. Hmmm…"

I suddenly gasped and clutched the right side of my chest. "Bashir!" I called. My eyes squeezed shut from the pain. When Susan touched my face in concern, my eyes snapped open and my claws shot out, nearly catching the girl's shoulder. She jumped back in surprise. "Stay away from me!" I warned before crying out in agony.

Julian Bashir slid to a stop in front of me and dropped to my side. "Tengu, what's wrong?"

In answer, I pressed his hand against the right side of my chest, where a faint heartbeat could be felt.

"Oh no," he breathed.

I nodded and grunted through clenched teeth, "Someone is playing a very dangerous game with me, with all of me."

"But who is it? Who can do this?" asked Five.

"I-I don't know…" I said before falling into blackness.

"Sarah!" I shouted, bolting upright.

Sarah Jane was instantly at my side. "Yes, Tengu?"

"What happened? Where am I?"

Bashir answered, "You've regenerated, Doctor. We're still in the Death Zone."

"Of course," I replied, standing up. I stumbled backwards, but Three caught me before I could fall. "Right, now, I say we go that way," I pointed and started walking.

Bashir hurried up to me. "Tengu-"

"If you must address me by that name, please shorten it to 'Ten,'" I told him.

"Tengu," Bashir repeated.

I turned around and started kissing him. I abruptly broke it off and said, "Sorry, Turlough. I have no idea what was I doing." I started walking faster to get away from him.

Tegan Jovanka ran up to walk side-by-side with me. "That was rude, you know," she said.

"What was rude?"

"Kissing Julian and stalking off. You called him Turlough. Why?"

"Tegan, I am still in the regenerative process. My mind is all over the place. Merging with Tengu is not helping either."

"Still, that was very-"

I said in a low tone, "Tegan, have I ever told you how attractive you are?"

"What?"

I shook my head. "See? I just keep… switching between my various selves."

"And what you just said about me- was that my Doctor?"

"Ask him. I don't know." Without another word, I used the Force to snatch the panama hat from Jo's head and called it to my hand. As I had hoped, I was given a vision.

"_Professor?" asked Ace the second her eyes opened. She sat up and shook her head to clear the webs of unconsciousness. Jamie, Two, and Seven had been dumped around her. She bent over her Doctor and tapped his cheek. "Wake up, Doctor, please."_

"_Och, me aching head," burred the young Scot as he awakened. "Doctor?"_

_Both Doctors woke with a heavy coughing fit. Orange-red blood sprayed from their mouths. Their faces were pale. Ace and Jamie cradled the heads of their respective Doctors._

_A few minutes later, four of the Reptilian hunters deactivated the force-field barrier and strode in. They shoved the two Humans from the weakened Time Lords. Two of the hunters lifted the Doctors to their feet by their collars and slammed their backs against the stone wall._

"_What… do you w-want?" stammered Seven._

"_Wh-why are we… are we here?" Two asked._

"_You not ask questions. Only my master asks questions, and only you answer. We are just making our rounds," answered the hunter holding Two._

"_Who else are you holding prisoner?" Seven inquired._

_He was rewarded with a backhand that sent him sprawling to the ground. "Professor!" Ace cried, trying to get out of her restrainer's hold._

"_That is up to my master to tell you," spat the lead hunter before they left._

"Well, that was hardly any help," I remarked.

"I take it that you didn't see who the person responsible for all this is," commented Three.

I shook my head and called Eight's shoe from Julian's medical bag to my hand. All I found out from the resulting vision was that Six, Eight, Peri, and Grace were in the same circumstances as the others. But, I did get the impression that the mastermind behind this was waiting for one more Doctor and companion team to be caught.

We finally stopped to rest for the night. I climbed a tree and kept my eyes, ears, and mind open to keep watch. I heard rustling undergrowth about an hour later. Tegan Jovanka leaned against a nearby tree trunk and crossed her arms. She stared into space until Five joined her. I did not need to eavesdrop to know what they were talking about. I silently moved to another tree to give them privacy.

Nine awakened later on to take over for me, but I refused to surrender my watch. I stayed up and helped the ninth Doctor. And, I took the lead again the next morning.

Julian asked me quietly, "Did you stay up all night?"

"Yes, but I am perfectly fine. Please, leave me alone, Bashir."

Rejected, the medical doctor fell back to join Rose, Jo, and Nine. A tense moment later, Susan came up behind me. "Tengu, I mean, Doctor-"

I stopped and spun to face her. I said in a raised voice, "What now? What could possibly be more important than getting us back to our own times?"

My outburst stopped everyone in their tracks. Susan looked away, a hurt expression marring her features. I had forgotten how sensitive she was. I glanced down at the dirt in shame before fleeing from the scene. I didn't hear anyone follow me and stopped running some minutes later.


	6. Chapter 6

Okay… I'm upping the rating to M in the next chapter. It is for a good reason. On with the story…

Chapter 6

Convinced of my aloneness, I extended my claws with a cry of anger and frustration. My mind raced as I started slicing at the rough bark of a tree. What the hell was happening to me? Who was the cause of all of this? Why? How? What was to be gained?

I kept hacking at the tree until my still growing heart protested to the intensity of my attack. I let out a strangled yelp and fell to my knees when the pain shot through my chest. I tried to stand, but once again driven to the ground. I settled for staying on my knees, leaning my forearm and forehead against the tree, breathing deeply.

I didn't know how much time passed before I heard someone approach from behind. "Susan," I addressed, not turning around or opening my eyes. "Susan, my child, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"It's alright," replied the Gallifreyan girl. "I'm more worried about you."

I smiled and turned to see her, extending my arm out to her. "Of course you are," I responded. "Come here."

Susan warily glanced at the metal claws.

"Sorry," I apologized before retracting them.

She smiled and took my hand. She helped me to my feet and held me tightly.

"Susan, no matter what happens, I love you. I treasure our time together."

"I know."

"I just get the feeling that I don't tell you enough," I replied, kissing the top of her head.

"You don't need to tell me. Come on, everyone's worried about you."

I allowed myself another smile. "When isn't anyone worried about me?"

We finally emerged from the forest, and started trudging through a rocky, mountainous region.

Like before, this regeneration was very difficult to cope with. With ten different mentalities and personalities, a complete identity crises was bound to happen.

The next afternoon, something happened that I should have foreseen. Something that would cause anger and guilt. Anger at myself for not seeing it, and guilt for not being able to prevent it.

There was no warning when a large troop of reptilian hunters sprang out from behind boulders and outcroppings. We weren't organized enough to make a stand, so I told everyone to run. It was our only chance.

Three and I nodded to each other, staying behind to hold off the hunters as long as we could. The two of us were reasonably successful, until two hunters showed some intelligence by throwing two small grenades at our feet. I barely had time to raise my arms to protect my face before the explosives detonated.

The third Doctor and I were propelled backwards into a rock wall. We didn't even have a chance to breathe before the two intelligent reptilians struck us down with their heavily armored fists.

Winded and disoriented, I slid down the rock wall, trying to remember where I was. The hunters ignored us and went after everyone else. I stood to give chase, but another blow to my head by a passing hunter sent me right back down again.

I was brought back to my senses by a female voice shouting, "Doctor!" that cry was quickly followed by a scream, which was abruptly cut short. I knew that the reptilians were gone, along with whoever had screamed.

A short moment later, everyone joined Three and me. Jo helped her Doctor to his feet. Bashir gave me the same favor. I asked, "Who's gone? Who did they take?"

"They all went after four and Sarah," answered Bashir. "They weren't interested in the rest of us."

"Why?" asked Tegan. "What's so special about the two of them?"

"I don't know, but we still have a long way to go for answers. We can't waste any time," I said, once again taking the lead. Now I was angry and anxious. Why my Sarah Jane? What was so special about her? Well, everything, to me. But, what would consider her to be special to another person. She was my companion, but so was every non-Doctor person here.

I stopped walking when I realized how far ahead of everyone I was. Julian, Barbara, and Ian were first to catch up.

"Not everyone can keep up this pace," Barbara said to me.

"I am sorry. I'm just so… I just need to find her."

"And the other five Doctors and four companions," Bashir reminded.

I shook my head. "Sarah comes first, no matter what."

"You're obviously not yourself right now," said Ian.

"You don't understand, Ian. I love Sarah Jane as much as Tengu loves Bashir." The revelation dawned on me. I kneeled and sat back on my heels.

"Tengu?" Julian kneeled down in front of me. By now, everyone else had joined us.

"Tengu, what is it?" asked Five.

"Love. That's what's so special about Four and Sarah," I said aloud. "Four is the first of us to fall in love with his companion."

"How could they possibly have known that?" Nine wondered.

"Whoever is in charge of this apparently knows you- knows us very well. Maybe…" I trailed off before getting up and continuing my fast-paced walk.

Hours later, a mind presence touched mine. Contact it barely whispered. I signaled Contact back. I closed my eyes as a vision of the present came to me.


	7. Chapter 7

Okay, now officially rated M for graphic violence and torture. Don't like, don't read. Also, this story somehow turned into a Four/Sarah/Tengu thing. I'm not really sure how that happened, but I'm going to keep going with it. On with the story…

Chapter 7

_Four was sitting in a chair in a room that had a window which showed a white room with a white table and white manacles hanging from the ceiling. _

_Four looked to the door when it opened. A man dressed in a black suit walked in. "Who are you?" the Doctor instantly asked._

"_I believe you refer to me as your 'best enemy,'" responded the man._

"_Ah. The Master. You've regenerated. How did you manage that? You were on your last life, last time I saw you."_

_That is not your concern."_

"_Where is Sarah?"_

"_Also not your concern, for the moment. A few of your other selves will be joining you soon."_

"_Good. I was getting quite worried about myselves."_

"_As well you should, Doctor," replied the Master with a smile. _

"_I asked you where you are taking us," said a loud and irritated voice from the corridor. The voice belonged to the sixth Doctor. He, Two, Seven, and Eight were shoved into the room._

"_You!" the four newcomers hissed at the Master._

"_But, you died in the TARDIS," Eight protested. _

"_I have my ways," the Master replied. _

"_What's happened?" Seven asked Four._

"_The rest of us Doctors were together. One, Three, Five, Nine, and-"_

"_Ten?" interrupted Two. "There's ten of us now?"_

"_Unofficially, yes."_

"_What do you mean by that?" inquired Six._

"_Ten isn't supposed to be one of us. She's a Skonian woman named Tengu. This is actually her second go as our tenth life. And I suspect that the Master has something to do with that," Four explained._

"_Very good deduction," the young-faced Master complimented._

"_Why are we all together?" Two asked._

"_In the Death Zone? It is a fun vengeance for me. In this room? I'm going to have a lot of fun playing with your emotions."_

"_How do you plan on achieving that?" Seven challenged. _

"_Now, now, telling you would spoil the surprise," said the black-suited Time Lord. He leaned over and whispered in Four's ear. "This window is one-way. You'll be able to see and hear everything that goes on in there. But, whoever is in there can't do the same." The Master didn't wait for Four's reaction before he strode out the door. _

_Once outside, the Master took out a device like the sonic screwdriver and bolted the door shut. Outside the door to the White Room stood a reptilian hunter with an unconscious and blindfolded Sarah Jane in his arms. The Master took Sarah into his arms and carried her into the room. He laid her on the table, then went to a closet and rummaged through it. He took out a handled metal plate and fiddled with its settings. Satisfied, he turned his attention back to Sarah._

_She started to stir when the Master stroked the soft skin of her neck. He held the metal plate below the table and out of sight. _

"_Doctor?" Sarah called as soon as she was coherent. She raised a hand to take off the blindfold._

_The Master gently grabbed her wrist. "Not yet," he said. "Your eyes will hurt from the sudden light."_

"_Where am I? Where is the Doctor?"_

"_You're still in the Death Zone, but you are safe in my care. The Doctor is still unconscious."_

_Sarah seemed to be accepting of his answers. _

"_Sarah Jane, for a human, you are very attractive. No wonder the Doctor likes you so much. Close your eyes. I'm going to take off the blindfold now."_

_Sarah nodded and allowed him to take off the black cloth._

"_Now, slowly open your eyes, and turn over onto your side. There's a wound on your back that needs to be attended to."_

_Sarah followed his instructions. The Master tore the back of her shirt halfway and exposed the large bruise on the back of her shoulder and base of her neck. Sarah didn't see the Master's sadistic grin in the mirror. "Who are you?" she finally asked._

_The boyish-faced Time Lord didn't answer. He raised the now glowing orange metal plate and brought it down on Sarah's bruised shoulder._

_Her eyes flew open and she screamed as the metal burned her skin. She struggled t get away, and managed to knock the plate out of the Master's hand. She fell from the table to the white floor. _

_Sarah frantically glanced around for the door, but didn't see it because it blended in with the white wash of the room. In desperation, she scurried to her feet, stumbled to the mirror, and started hammering on the hard plastic surface with her fists, unknowingly trying to get to her Doctor. _

"_Sarah Jane, you asked me who I was," said the Master._

_Sarah turned around and pressed her back against the mirror, putting on a brave face. _

"_I am the Master."_

"_The Doctor told me about you."_

_The Time Lord slowly approached her, the hot plate in his hand. "Did he really? And what did he have to say about his old friend?"_

"_Nothing pleasant," Sarah replied before charging at him._

_This took the Master by surprise. Her momentum sent them both to the floor, the red-hot metal plate clattering across the floor. Sarah got to it first and sprang up to her feet. _

"_You're not going to use that on me," the Master stated after he got up._

"_What makes you say that?"_

"_You're too scared."_

_Sarah glanced from the boy-faced Time Lord's face, to the plate, then back to him. She threw the red-hot plate at his head and ran to the nearest wall, feeling it for a door seam. _

_So desperate was Sarah that she didn't realize that the Master had dodged the heated projectile. She yelped in fear when he yanked her backwards by her hair. He didn't hesitate in slamming her face into the wall. She was dazed enough for him to propel her towards the table. She struck the edge of it with her ribs. _

_The Master didn't wait for Sarah to recover before he picked up the metal plate and slammed her face to the table. Blood spurted from Sarah's nose. The Master stopped her from resisting by pressing her between him and the red-spotted table. He then brought the plate down on her previously burned shoulder. This time, Sarah Jane wasn't able to shake it off. When the Master finally did remove the hot object, he didn't give her a break before pressing it against her side. Her pained cries began anew. _

_The Master set the metal plate down and turned Sarah around to face him. Her eyes were still tightly closed. The Time Lord took a blade from his pocket and plunged all the way to the hilt into Sarah's thigh. He carved three long gashes like this before he put it away. _

_Crimson Human blood poured from Sarah's new injury, staining the entire leg of her blue jeans. She once again tried to fight back when the Master picked up the hot plate._

"_Stupid girl," he said, serving a punch to her stomach. "Do you wish to die of blood loss? I need to cauterize the wound."_

"_Don't you-you want me to die?"_

"_Of course not. I only want you to suffer."_

"_Wh-" Sarah's question became a scream as the metal plate was pressed against her thigh. _

_It took three burns to completely cauterize all three gashes in Sarah's leg. The Master stepped away from her, letting her fall to the floor. He went to the closet, rifling through its contents and singing a fast-paced song. _

_Sarah shakily got to her feet. She nearly collapsed again. Breathing and limping heavily, she once again looked for the door. She spotted an inconsistency in the wall and staggered over to it. Her face lit up when she discovered that it was the door. She felt around for a way to open it, but found none. Sarah turned when she heard the Master's approaching footsteps. _

_He said, "It's isomorphic. Like the TARDIS, it'll only work for certain species or people."_

"_Why… why do you want me to suffer?"_

"_You are your Doctor's one weakness. Imagine his reaction when he sees you after I'm done."_

"_You're insane."_

"_I know. It's what makes me so interesting," the Master replied before bringing down a short metal stick on her head._

_Sarah ducked away from the blow, but the stick still caught her shoulder. Blue electrical sparks jumped to Sarah's shoulder, resulting in a heavy shock. Sarah yelped as the Time Lord hit her over and over with the electrically charged rod. Once she was beaten into submission, he pulled her up to her feet by her hair and pushed her into the table. He outstretched her right arm on the table and brought down the hot metal plate on her hand and wrist. _

_At the burning of her flesh, Sarah began screaming again. She whimpered and sobbed when the Master stopped. An angry red-black burn covered the back of her hand and encircled her wrist. Sarah started to pull her hand back, but the crazed Time Lord grabbed it again. "Please…" Sarah begged. "H-Have mercy."_

_The Master showed no mercy when he shattered the bones of her burnt hand and wrist with the electric stick. It took three blows._

_Sarah pulled her arm back and cradled it against her chest in an effort to protect it. She looked up at the Master's face with pleading tear-filled eyes. The young-faced Time Lord reveled in this for a moment before he seized a fistful of her hair and roughly tilted her head back to force her to stare into his eyes. _

_He said, "Oh no, Sarah Jane Smith. It isn't over yet." _

_Sarah was in too much pain to offer much resistance as the Master half-dragged her by her uninjured arm to the hanging manacles. She let him cuff her left wrist up, but resisted when he made a grab for the tight one. _

"_Would you like me to break the other hand?" he threatened. _

_Sarah reluctantly offered the Master her injured hand, which he locked into the manacle. He had made sure that she was facing the mirror. The chains had enough slack for Sarah to go to her knees, but that would put even more pressure on her broken wrist. She struggled to stay standing. _

_The Master went back to the closet and took out a nine-tailed whip. He went back to Sarah, yanked her head up by her hair, and crushed her lips with his. She turned her head away when he finally pulled from the violating kiss. _

"_You didn't like that? Maybe you'll reconsider with a promise of no more pain."_

_Sarah's head slowly lifted at the consideration._

"_That's right. All you have to do is become my companion."_

"_If this is… is the way you treat… companions…"_

"_I won't. And my TARDIS, my Paradox Machine can heal you."_

"_No. I-I can't… I won't b-betray the Doctor."_

"_Why not? You can have power, and will never have to be afraid with me. Not to mention I'm much better looking and ambitious than he is. What's the reason ou're choosing him over me?"_

"_He's my best friend… He's everything to me."_

"_Tell me exactly what you mean."_

_Sarah shook her head._

"_He's not here. You can say it," the Master encouraged. He was once again met with silence. "Say it!" he ordered, snapping the nine-tailed whip against her slashed and burned thigh._

_Sarah's leg gave out and she fell to her knees. She shrieked asd her broken wrist was pulled taut. "II love him," Sarah sobbed._

"_What was that? I didn't hear you."_

_Sarah Jane swallowed and said in a slightly clearer voice. "I love him. I love my Doctor."_

"_Oh really? I want you to say that again. But, this time, look at yourself in the mirror."_

_Sarah did so, unknowingly making eye contact with her Doctor._

"_But, why do you love him?"_

"_I-I don't know… I just do. He means… everthing to me."_

"_But, he is a Time Lord. He-"_

"_I don't care. J-Just traveling and having adventures with him is enough," Sarah admitted, a faraway look in her eyes. _

_The Master brought Sarah back to reality with a strike of the whip to her back. He did not hold back his strength. Five strikes and forty-five gashes later, Sarah's leg gave out. She gasped when she dropped to her knees. _

_The Master did not pull her back up when he said, "You can end this now. All you have to do is say yes. Will you leave the Doctor and help me?"_

"_No," Sarah refused, weakly shaking her head. _

_The Master let out a theatrical sigh before striking her with the whip again. He did not stop the torture until Sarah's blood solidly painted the white floor beneath her red. She was completely slumped forward in the chains, eyes closed, and breathing shallowly. But, she was still conscious enough to cry out when the Time Lord unchained her and she landed on her broken wrist. _

_With a cold smile, the Master put away the whip, electric stick, and metal plate. He then stalked out of the room, leaving Sarah Jane lying in a pool of her own blood. With the same grin on his face, the Master went into the observation room and said to the five Doctors, "Well, what do you think?"_

_The instant the evil Time Lord stepped into the room, Four charged at him. The Master aimed his laser screwdriver at him. He instantly stopped in his tracks. _

"_You know, I was going to let you go to her, but after that-" the Master stated._

"_No, please! Let me go to her," Four pleaded._

"_Beg," ordered the Master._

_Four went to his knees and looked up at the Master's face. "Master, please, I beg of you. let me go to Sarah Jane."_

_The Master pondered for a moment before nodding his head. He led the fourth Doctor into the White Room, and left him and Sarah Jane Smith alone._


	8. Chapter 8

In case of any confusion, this Master is the one as played by John Simm in the recent series of DW.

This chapter is the emotional fallout of the previous one… I apparently made Laura Harkness speechless last time, so maybe I'll do it again. ;). Also, writing and 'acting' this chapter actually made me cry. I take that as a good sign.

On with the show…

Chapter 8

"Tengu, are you alright?" asked Julian.

I had apparently stopped walking and stood statue-still for the duration of the vision. For the first time since this whole ordeal started, tears flowed down my face. I suddenly dropped to my knees in the rocky dirt. "Koschei!" I gasped. I shouted, "How could you do this to me? Why?"

"Koschei?" asked One. "What does my old friend have to do with this?"

"Sorry to tell you," replied Nine. "But Koschei, known better as the Master, has been our best enemy for awhile now. But, I watched him die in my last incarnation."

"What happened?" asked Three and Five, placing their hands on my shoulders. "Contact?"

I shook my head. "I'll tell you. Four established mind-contact with me. Koscei-the Master- gathered the five Doctors he has and said that he was going to play with their emotions. The reason why he brought all of us here is to exact revenge on us. Then he…" I couldn't go on and started freely crying. "Oh Rassilon," I sobbed. "Sarah Jane… my Sarah Jane. Why, Koschei? You didn't have to go that far."

"What did the Master do?" Nine inquired.

"I'll just say that killing her would've been a mercy." I took a deep breath and stood. "I need to get to her."

"Tengu, stop. You're no good to her like this," said Bashir.

"I need to get to her. I love her just as much as I love you."

Julian placed his hands on my shoulders. "I know. But, it's getting dark. We need to stop for the night."

"Then I'll keep going on my own," I replied, shrugging his hands off and starting to walk away.

One stepped directly in front of me. I stopped and he put his arm around my shoulders. "Let's take a walk," he suggested.

I had little choice but to go along. A couple of minutes later, when we were out of earshot, we stopped. One turned and said, "I understand how you're feeling. I honestly do. But," he brandished his walking stick at me. "But everyone, myself included, is counting on you. You're not like the rest of us Doctors."

"I'm not even supposed to be a Doctor," I protested.

"But you are. You have powers the rest of us don't."

"What good are they if I can't see when the next ambush will be. It's my fault. My inability resulted in Sarah…" I fell to my knees as grief overtook me again. "Sarah Jane…"

One gently held me against him. I wrapped my arms around his lower back and cried into his waistcoat. It wasn't long before he said, "We should get back to the others now."

I nodded and stood up, wiping my eyes.

"Just remember, Sarah Jane Smith is not your only responsibility," my first incarnation reminded.

I couldn't sleep, so I kept watch with Ian and Bashir. About two hours into the night, Bashir came over and said, "You need to sleep."

"I can't," I replied. "Please, Bashir, leave me alone. I'll be fit to travel."

"I'm not really concerned about your physical wellness."

"Bashir, when I close my eyes, all I see is my Sarah Jane, writhing and screaming in agony. When I blink, a flash of it appears. It's just…"

"I understand."

"No, you don't. You can't truly understand."

"Then, make me understand."

I was silent for a moment. Anger was the first emotion that came to me. Through clenched teeth, I stated, "When I see Koschei, he will suffer for what he has done to my Sarah Jane. He will feel the wrath of a Doctor unlike any of the others. He will feel the wrath of a Doctor with powers beyond his imagination. I am the Oncoming Storm. I will invade his mind… and tear it to shreds. I will-"

"Stop this. This isn't you."

"You can't understand, Bashir. When Tengu attacked your mind, it was only a small inkling of her telepathic ability. Imagine that pain multiplied by a hundred."

"Stop. Tengu's powers are Jedi powers. With them comes responsibility. Tholme trained you to use them for the good of all, not for revenge. Tholme could have used his powers for vengeance. He and the other Jedi were held prisoner and tortured for fifteen years. He restrained himself, knowing that to use his powers like that would result in his own destruction."

"But, you see, Tholme only has one heart. I have two. Right now, they both are beating for Sarah Jane. They need to feel her heart beating in tandem with them. Their music, that echoing heartsbeat, that _duh-dun-duh-dun, _need another, need her, need her heart beating against them, to be complete." I didn't bother to wipe the tears from my cheeks. "Koschei, he took my Sarah Jane away from me. He ripped her away from me, tortured her to hurt me. And, it's working. It's causing me more anguish than if he had physically hurt me. Koschei has crossed the line. He needs to suffer for this…"

Bashir was speechless. He opened his mouth to say something, but quickly closed it.

I took a deep breath. "When I first met Sarah Jane Smith… I was somewhat awed by her. She stowed away on my TARDIS to find out what was happening to the disappearing scientists. When she emerged to find herself in medieval England, she didn't panic or ask me at once to take her back home. Oh no, not Sarah. She strode headlong into the situation we found ourselves in. She saved my life a few times in that first adventure. And, we became best friends." I absent-mindedly wiped the tears from my face. "A year later, I came back from a situation on Metebelis 3, slowly dying from radiation poisoning. I fell into her arms, and onto the floor. She kneeled over me and cried. She couldn't bear the thought of losing her beloved Doctor. I died, and woke up as a new man, with different feelings and eccentricities. I had loved her before my regeneration as a best friend. But, after, I felt… I started loving her as something more. The thing was, I couldn't tell her. I didn't know if she felt the same way. I-I didn't want to ruin our friendship. But now…" My face became wet again with free-falling tears. "Sarah's love for me was made known to me in the worst way possible. She didn't know it, but Koschei made her look directly into my eyes when he forced her to say those seven words. Those seven immortal words. 'I love him. I love my Doctor.' I wish that it didn't have to be like that… with a man with no conscience forcing the words from her lips with both physical and emotional agony."

I was silent for a long moment. "When my mind stabilized after the regeneration… Sarah became the reason for my traveling. I wanted to show her all the wonders of the universe. She was my best friend. She wasn't at all like all the other Humans of her time." I took a shuddering breath and stared up into the starry night sky. "I became aware of my escalating love for her when the Time Lords sent me back in time to stop the creation of the Daleks. It was when Davros, the creator of the Daleks, had Sarah strapped to a table, metal bands around her head and arms. He was interrogating me, wanting me to share the secrets of the future with him. To demonstrate what would happen if I refused to answer or lied, he turned a knob on the control panel. Sarah started to slightly shake in her restraints and told me, 'Don't tell him anything, Doctor.' So, I refused to answer Davros' questions. He turned the knob again. Sarah moaned in pain. I cracked."

I let out a short humorless laugh. "Davros, one of the most evil masterminds in the universe, had me, the Oncoming Storm, spilling all the secrets of the future, betraying the future, for one Human girl. You see, normally, I would sacrifice the life of a friend, if there was no other choice, to save the lives of many total strangers. But, not that time, not at that moment. And, if I had to, I would do it again. I would save her over the population of an entire planet, of an entire solar system." I once again wiped tears from my eyes. "I love Sarah Jane Smith with every atom of my being." I looked to the mild-mannered man sitting next to me. "Now can you understand, Bashir?"

He nodded. "I share a love as well, just as powerful as yours. We didn't have the rather fast-paced start that you and Sarah did, but it still amazes me sometimes. When I first met Tengu, she was miraculously alive. I found that she had spent fifteen years with no emotions. She hadn't felt happiness, sadness… or love, in so long. Tengu… she got over her past, over the things she had been forced to do and forget in her life… and loved me. The feeling that I helped her… just by being there, existing…. She could have saved us all without even thinking about regaining her emotions, but she chose to accept the challenge. And… we found each other. I'm sure Tengu remembers."

I nodded. "She does. Bashir, our other halves are lost to us. You sre not complete without Tengu, and I am not complete without Sarah Jane."

Bashir replied with, "We will find them, together."

"Yes…" We sat in silence for a few more minutes before I suddenly said, "Bashir, you're a genius."

"I am?"

"What you're doing with me now, I can do with Sarah. I can be with her."

"But she's-"

"Not here, I know. This incarnation has a vast amount of telepathic ability that I've never had before."

"You think you can create a telepathic link between you and Sarah?"

"I need to, Bashir. Get someone to finish my watch," I said before closing my eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

Kinda short, but the next chapter should make up for it.

Chapter 9

**I closed my eyes and opened my mind, reaching out for my Sarah Jane. I projected an image of her version of me, scarf, hat, and all. It wasn't hard to find her mind and enter it. After my first step, a crumbling barrier came up.**

"**Please… leave me alone… leave my mind alone…" I heard Sarah beg from the other side of the wall. **

**A tear ran down my cheek. "Sarah, it's me. It's the Doctor."**

"**It's a trick. You're the Master."**

"**I'm not the Master, Sarah. He… he would have instantly blown down your defenses. Please, Sarah, I want- I need to help you. Trust me."**

**The dilapidated wall crumbled to the ground. Sarah was curled up in the dirt, sobbing. I had to remember to take it slow and not rush her. **

**I kneeled down next to Sarah and saw that she resembled her physical self to every injury. I gingerly pulled her into my lap, being especially careful of her broken wrist. I kissed the top of her head and covered her whip-scarred body with my jacket. **

"**Is this… Are you real?" Sarah asked.**

"**Yes, I'm real," I quietly said in her ear.**

**Sarah clutched my shirt with her uninjured hand and cried. She had been unconscious when the Master had let me go to her after the torture.**

"**My Sarah Jane," I breathed into her hair. Should I tell her that I saw and heard everything that happened in that damned white room? No. Sarah already had enough on her mind. She didn't need an awkward moment with her best friend. **

**I glanced around the stormy landscape of her mind. "Sarah, where do you want to be?"**

"**What?"**

"**This is your mind. Imagine where you want to be."**

"**S-surprise me."**

**I let out a long sigh. At the end of it, the two of us were on a deserted white-sanded beach. She was now wearing a shorts and short-sleeved shirt I had seen her in on the TARDIS. **

"**Where are we?" asked Sarah, reaching down to feel the fine sand with her formerly injured hand. **

"**Barcelona."**

"**Spain?"**

"**Barcelona the planet."**

**The gentle breeze rifled through her hair as she turned to face me. That familiar, fiery spark danced in her coffee-colored eyes again. **

**I wanted to kiss Sarah Jane, love her, let her know that everything would be alright. But, I couldn't. It wouldn't be fair to her. So, I settled for the last desire.**

**I tucked a stray lock of her hair behind her ear and said, "We'll make it through this. Tengu will make certain of that." I kissed her forehead.**

**Sarah half-smiled and nodded, turning to stare out at the waves of the ocean gently crashing against the snow-colored sand. **

**We sat there in the sand. She leaned back against me. My arms wrapped themselves around her waist. It was pure bliss, even though it wasn't physically real. It was said that mind, body, and soul had to be connected to feel entirely at peace. But, mind and soul worked just as well. Sarah and I were at peace. Time was irrelevant.**

**I let out a soft groan when I felt the need to go. I knew it would eventually happen. **

"**What's wrong?"**

"**I have to leave you now." I pressed a soft kiss into her hair. "Remember, this is our place. Come here, whenever you can."**

"**I will."**

**Within a breath I was back in my physical body.**

I opened my eyes and saw the start of the rising sun. "Another day," I sighed.

"Yes," replied Julian. "But how much closer will it bring us to the others and the TARDIS?"

"I hope… Julian, I fear for Sarah. She won't be able to take much more of Koschei's game."

"Game?" echoed Tegan. "Is that all this is to him?" Everyone else had started to awaken by now.

"Yes. Koschei was always good at manipulating people." I glanced around our group and noticed two of us were missing. Susan also noticed.

"Where are Ian and Barbara?" asked the Gallifreyan girl.

Jo answered with, "They went to have a private chat about half an hour ago. They were still in eyesight."

"I'll go look for them," Susan bounded forward.

I pulled her back to me with the Force. "No need. I know exactly where they are," I sighed.

"And…?" prompted One.

I stated to run. I called over my shoulder, "With Sarah Jane."


	10. Chapter 10

Well, this is a long chapter to make up for the previous short one… let's just say that this Master is happiest when he's playing with people's minds and making them suffer…..

Chapter 10

"_Ian, wake up!" Barbara hissed at her unconscious companion slung over a reptilian hunter's shoulder. She was in the same predicament as well. She reached out to Ian's hand and found hold of it. He slightly raised his head and half-smiled at Barbara. _

_Their hands were suddenly wrenched apart when the reptilian carrying Barbara increased his walking speed. A few moments later, they came to the door of the white room. The reptilians opened it and dropped them in before shutting and locking the door._

_Ian and Barbara saw the crimson marks on the floor and table before they noticed the limp body of a young woman laying a little bit away from the main blood pool. _

"_Sarah Jane!" both of the teachers realized, rushing over and kneeling at her side. They gingerly turned her over onto her back. Barbara gasped._

_Ian ran his hand over his face. "Now I understand why Tengu wouldn't tell us what happened to her."_

_The history teacher nodded and checked Sarah's wrist for a pulse. "Ian, she's still alive."_

"_She'll die of blood loss or shock soon."_

"_Her right hand is burned and broken."_

_Ian examined it. "Her hand and wrist aren't just broken, the bones have been shattered." He managed to skip over Sarah's hip-cut torso and looked to her legs. "I don't think the Master wants her to die just yet." He pointed to the knife gashes still visible underneath the black-red burns. "He cut her leg open, then cauterized it."_

"_He wants her to suffer. Tengu said that killing Sarah would've been an act of mercy," Barbara commented before gazing at Sarah's face. "Ian, she looks… at peace." _

_Barbara was right. Sarah's face was one of absolute serenity. Her lips moved, and a barely-whisper escaped from her throat._

"_Our place," the unconscious girl breathed._

"_Sarah Jane?" said Ian._

"_Peace… Our place…"_

"_Sarah Jane," said Barbara. "Where are you?"_

"_Can't tell… won't be our place… if I tell…"_

"_Whose place?"_

"_His and mine…" Sarah answered before drifting back to silence again. _

"_She must mean her Doctor," the science teacher concluded._

"_Even though he isn't with her, he's still doing his best to help her."_

"_Would you expect anything else from the Doctor? Any of them?"_

_The two teachers flinched when the door slid open. _

"_I do hope you're in a cooperative mood," said the young-faced Master. "Sarah Jane wasn't."_

"_Are you Koschei- the Master?" inquired Ian._

"_Always and forever."_

_Barbara told the Master from her position at Sarah's side, "You didn't need to do this to her."_

_The Master menacingly approached Barbara. Ian stood next to her, ready to fight if necessary._

"_If you're uncomfortable with this poor girl, Sarah Jane, being treated like this, then maybe I'll replace her with someone very near and dear to your hearts. Namely, Susan."_

"_You can't! She's only a child," Barbara was first to protest. _

"_You are all in my game, on my playing board. I can do anything I want."_

_Ian's nostrils flared in fury and he took a step forward. The Master wasted no time in firing his laser screwdriver. The power of the shot sent the science teacher spinning backwards through the air. He landed hard on his side._

"_Ian!" Barbara shouted, getting up to go to him._

"_Stop," ordered the Master, aiming the laser screwdriver at her. _

_Barbara halted, still visibly concerned about her friend. The evil Time Lord let out a laugh before kicking the down man in the chest._

_Ian gasped, "Bastard." His reward for that outburst was a kick to his face. Barbara protested and started to move again._

"_Miss Wright, don't move, or I will shoot him again, on a higher setting," The Master warned before motioning to the mirror. _

"_I'm alright, Barbara," Ian assured, grimacing as he got up to his hands and knees. _

_Three reptilians came in. two of them roughly yanked Ian to his feet and started taking him out the door. Barbara cried out when the remaining guard slashed her arm and pulled her along by her hair._

_Ian couldn't see her. He shouted, "Don't you dare hurt her!"_

"_Humans are such fun," the Master commented before he crouched down next to the unconscious and still peaceful-looking Sarah. "See what you've done now, Sarah Jane? Your refusal of my offer caused me to capture two of your friends. I guess you can imagine what I'm going to do to them." He stroked Sarah's cheek. "When I'm done with them, I'll have something better in mind for you." He stood and left her alone again._

_The Master went into a grey room, which showed no modesty in its purpose. Barbara was tied to a chair. The tight bindings also served as a tourniquet for her bleeding arm. Ian had been stripped to the waist and strapped down to a now vertically-standing table. The bindings were around his ankles, wrists, bare chest, and neck. Evidence from the earlier shot from the laser screwdriver was a patch of blackened skin on his otherwise pale chest. _

_Ian noticed the blood dripping from Barbara's arm onto the grey floor beneath the chair. "You hurt her," he growled._

_The Master dismissed the three reptilians. He grinned at Ian before serving a backhand to Barbara._

"_Stop it!" the science teacher protested, straining to get free._

_The Master whispered to Barbara, "Watch this." He went to Ian and said in a mocking tone, "Aww, did the big bad Master hurt your little girlfriend?"_

_Ian's breathing intensified from anger. _

"_But, what are you going to do about it? What can you do about it? Absolutely nothing."_

_Ian tried to lunge at the Time Lord, but his restraints stayed taut._

"_Don't listen to him, Ian," Barbara warned._

'"_Don't listen to him, Ian,"' the Master mocked. "Humans are so much fun, with all their emotions and loyalties," he commented. Then he took out a knife, pulled Barbara's head back by her hair, and pressed the blade on the exposed skin of her neck._

_Ian shouted in protest. The Master put pressure on the blade, breaking Barbara's skin. A drop of blood trickled down from the cut. Ian immediately fell silent. The silence lasted for a long moment. _

"_What do you want from us?" the science teacher finally asked._

_The young-faced Time Lord made another small cut in the history teacher's neck. She and Ian winced. The Master answered, "Cooperation." He finally removed the knife from Barbara's throat. "I want you to be m helpers… assistants… companions, as the Doctor calls you all." _

"_You can't be serious," replied Barbara._

_The Master sighed. "And here I was, thinking that I had convinced you of that very thing. Maybe targeting Susan…"_

"_No," objected the teachers. Barbara continued, "You've assured us of your sincereness."_

"_Good. Well, what do you say?"_

_Ian answered, "You know we can't join you and betray the Doctor."_

"_Really? Why not? Oh wait, let me guess. He's your friend, therefore, you are loyal to him. But, let me ask you this. How can you consider a man who kidnapped you from your proper place and time, because he was afraid that you would expose him as an alien traveler? And, I almost forgot, he can't even get you back home."_

_Ian glanced to his friend before answering with, "We can live with not getting home. We couldn't live with helping a monster like you."_

_The Master appeared to ponder this for a moment. Then he shot at Barbara with his laser screwdriver. She let out a frightened yelp as the beam missed her head by a hair's-breadth. _

"_Leave her alone!" Ian yelled. "You put me up here. Do anything you like to me. Just, leave her alone." _

_The master muttered, "Loyalty," before taking out the knife again. He stood behind Barbara. "Tell me, Ian Chesterton, what can you do to prevent me from doing this?" he asked and casually added another slash to Barbara's already injured arm. She bit back a scream, but a high-pitched whimper escaped through her lips. A tear ran down Ian's face. The Master told him, "Absolutely nothing. Sarah Jane and her Doctor were also in this predicament. At least, her Doctor was. You see, she didn't even know he was watching, but he saw and heard everything I did to her. Rather tragic, isn't it?" _

"_Only a monster could gloat about the pain he inflicts upon others," Barbara spat._

"_Am I really a monster, Miss Wright? Consider this. I offered her the same thing I offered you. I offered her to become my companion, with a promise of no more pain. I offered the girl to end the torture. The stupid girl refused." The Master said in a mock-Sarah voice, '"He means everything to me… I love him. I love my Doctor."' He snorted. "That was her reason for refusing. Love… but you two would know all about that."_

_Ian and Barbara said nothing. _

"_Fine. Give me the silent treatment."_

_Ian suddenly cried out when the Master shot him again, right below the previous shot. The teacher didn't have much of a chance to recover when the Time Lord reset his screwdriver and aimed it at a control box near the table. Almost instantly, Ian tightly closed his eyes and whimpered. The Master rolled his eyes and hit the control box again. This time, Ian screamed as the electric current dramatically increased. _

"_Stop it! Please, leave him alone!" Barbara sobbed._

"_I can't leave you both alone," the Master told her over Ian's cries. "It would defeat the purpose of this session."_

_Beads of sweat stung Ian's eyes as they trickled down his face. Blood started to flow from his nose and over his lips. _

"_He won't be able to take much more," the history teacher cried._

_The Master sighed and switched off the electric current. He said, "Fine, if you won't agree to be my companions, at least answer me a question." He was met with silence. "I'll take that as a yes. What did Sarah Jane say while you were in that room with her?"_

"_Is that needed for your vengeance or whatever you want to call it?" inquired Barbara._

"_I'm asking you, so it must be significant," the Master seriously said. _

"_What she said was gibberish," Ian said. "It didn't make any sense." That remark earned him another round of electrocution. _

_The Master spat in his face after he turned the current off. "I ask you what she said, not your opinion of what she said."_

'"_Our place,'" Barbara spoke up. "That's all she said."_

"_Where was this place?"_

"_She wouldn't say."_

_The Master nodded. "See, it wasn't too hard to cooperate, now was it, Miss Wright? Ian here could learn a lesson from you." The Master untied Barbara and set the table at a flat angle and lowered it. He then bowed out, saying he had more important manners to attend to. _

_As soon as he was gone, Barbara was at Ian's side. Ian spoke first. "He hurt you…" he said, looking at her arm._

"_It's not bleeding too badly," Barbara brushed off. _

_With the reason for him putting on a brave face gone, Ian closed his eyes and moaned in pain. His fingers twitched form the residual shock and the ends of his hair were singed. Barbara started running her hands through his sweat-dampened hair. With her other hand, she traced his eyebrows and the bridge of his nose. _

_Barbara laid her head on Ian's chest, being careful to avoid the laser burns. She whispered, "Are you alright?"_

"_Better, now that you're with me," he answered. Ian grunted in frustration after he tried to break free of the wrist restraints._

"_What's the matter?"_

"_The one time that we're completely alone, and I can't touch you. I can't hold you in my arms."_

_Barbara slightly smiled as she interlaced her fingers through Ian's. "After this is all over," she sighed. She raised her head to plant a soft kiss on his lips. "Try to get some rest," she advised, laying her head back down on his chest._

I had been walking during the entire vision.

"Well?" asked One.

"He showed them mercy," I replied. "They answered his questions, but did not agree to help him in the way he wanted them to. Yet, he showed them mercy."

"But, why not show Sarah the same mercy?" asked Rose. "What does he have against her?"

"It's Sarah he really wants. I have a theory."

"Do you mind sharing it?" prompted Five.

I took a breath and glanced up at the purple-blue sky. "Susan and Sarah are the Doctor's shatterpoints. Anything Koschei does to them will influence the rest of the Doctor's incarnations."

"Then, why not go for me?" asked Susan. "It would be achieve a greater effect."

"It would," I admitted. "But, Koschei, for whatever reason, still feels some sense of loyalty to your Doctor."

"We were good friends in the Academy and afterwards," One shared.

"Exactly."

"But, then there was an accident," Three continued. "Near the end of my second life. Our TARDISes were caught in a black hole vortex. I figured out a way to escape it, and tried to help him. But, it was too late. He was trapped. The next time I saw him, he claimed to be on his last life. He had also been on his second life before the accident."

"So, he lost most of his lives and blamed you for it?" inquired Jo.

"Yes, he's blamed us ever since," I answered.

"Wait a minute," said Rose. "Back to the whole using Sarah to influence the rest of the Doctors theory. What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Susan, Sarah, and you, Rose, are the Doctor's only shatterpoints. Koschei's not using Susan because of his subconscious loyalty to One. He's not using you because you are too late in the Doctor's timeline."

"What would happen if the Master was successful with this shatterpoint?" asked Bashir.

"It will utterly destroy the Doctor from his fourth life. And, the ones who come after him will become avenging shadows of the men they are now."

Tegan looked to her Doctor and let out a low whistle. "Scary thought."

"Indeed," Five agreed.

"But, something must have motivated him to do this in the first place," Susan reasoned.

"In my time, Gallifrey is dead," Nine stated. "And the Master died in my eighth incarnation. I haven't met this version of him."

Bashir suddenly said, "Tengu, you're not supposed to a Doctor."

"I know, but Koschei started this regeneration."

"You're not getting it," replied the medical doctor. "Time Lords have thirteen lives, right? We only know of these nine. Maybe the Master is doing this because of something Doctor number Ten, Eleven, Twelve, or Thirteen did."

"That does make sense," commented One.

"But, since there are only nine of us here, I think our tenth self did something to anger the Master so," reasoned Three. "Our real tenth self."

"He's trying to destroy our real tenth life, through the rest of us," I realized.

"Yes, but what will we do to him that will make him want to do this to us?" asked Five. "I've foiled many of his plans before, and he usually runs away and comes back later."

"This version of Koschei is very different from all his other various selves," I stated. "This last unorthodox regeneration he did has severely affected his mind. He's more unstable than his last selves were."

"That's hard to imagine," muttered Tegan.

"And, I take it that this instability makes him more dangerous than he was when you all knew him?" One inquired.

I sighed and nodded.

"Oh, joy," Rose sarcastically summed up. And that was the end to that conversation.

I quietly groaned when another vision came to my mind two hours later.


	11. Chapter 11

Next chappie… dang, I have a lot of time for updating. Anyway, anything in bold or … is telepathic stuff. Enjoy…

Chapter 11

"_Sarah Jane, it's time to wake up," the Master said to the unconscious young woman on the crimson-spotted white floor. When she didn't respond to his voice, he kicked her in the back until she moved. "To your feet," he commanded. "You're going somewhere."_

_Sarah, still confused and groggy, said, "Barcelona?"_

"_Maybe, if you're good," the Master enticed, lifting her to her feet by her arms. Once he let go, her injured leg gave out and she collapsed against him. He held her upright and helped her to walk._

_The Master walked Sarah through the prison cell corridor. Jamie, Ace, Peri, and Grace, all together in one cell, gasped as the Time Lord and Human went past. The five captured Doctors had been placed in separate cells three apart. Two, Seven, Six, and Eight fixed a sad and angry glare at the Master._

_Four's reaction was a little more violent. He launched himself at the transparent force-field, and was thrown backwards. "Sarah!" he cried, getting back to his feet._

_For one moment, one tender moment, the Master allowed Sarah to approach the cell. Sarah held up her uninjured hand a millimeter away from the force-field. Her Doctor copied the movement. They stared into each other's eyes, trying to convey their feelings without words. _

_Without looking away from his best friend's face, Four said, "Master, please…leave her alone… let her go. You got what you wanted."_

"_Have I?" replied the evil Time Lord. "I know I haven't." He smirked at his former friend before grabbing Sarah's broken wrist and pulling her away._

_Sarah tried to fight, tried to get back to her beloved Doctor, but she was too weak and in too much pain. "Doctor!" she screamed before the Master pulled her around the corner._

_The young-faced Time Lord slammed Sarah against the wall and hissed in her face, "You couldn't just have had that moment, which I was merciful to give you. You had to take advantage of it."_

"_Did you really expect me not to?" Sarah retorted._

_The Master shoved her to the floor. She curled up to protect herself when he poised to kick her. He said, "This is almost enough to make me reconsider."_

"_R-reconsider what?"_

"_You'll find out in a few minutes," the Master answered in a gentler tone. He helped Sarah up to her feet and kept leading her on._

"_The TARDIS!" Sarah gasped when they had reached the wooden blue box._

"_Not quite. I call her a Paradox Machine," the Master replied before opening the door. _

"_What have you done to her?" cried Sarah once she was inside the crimson-lit room with a cage around the console. _

"_I told you. She isn't the TARDIS anymore. I turned her into a Paradox Machine. This is how I got the Doctors here on Gallifrey."_

_Sarah Jane hesitantly reached out and touched the cage. She jumped back when a low hum filled the room._

"_It's alright," the Master assured, holding her against him. "She remembers you," he whispered in her ear._

_Sarah struggled to get away, and he released her. "Why have you brought me here?"_

"_I thought you might want to be somewhere that is somewhat familiar to you. I can take you back to that room."_

"_No, I-I'll stay here."_

"_That's a good girl. Now," the Time Lord gently pushed her down into a chair. "I want you to be my companion."_

"_I-"_

"_Before you object, hear me out. If you agree, I will start fixing up the Paradox Machine's infirmary to heal your wounds. And, if you're loyal, I won't hurt you again."_

"_But, I-I'll hurt the Doctor."_

"_You must learn to get over that." The Master's wrist strap beeped. He let out a deep sigh before saying, "Sarah, if you refuse this time, you will get no other chance. We will once again be enemies, and I'm sure you understand what happens then." _

"_More torture," Sarah barely whispered. _

_The Master didn't say another word before he left. Sarah waited a moment after and went to the door. She desperately beat upon it when she discovered it was locked. She gave up and had walked halfway to the console before her leg gave out. _

_Sarah Jane cried. How much more of this game would she be able to take? When would she finally reach her shatterpoint?_

_**Sarah Jane.**__ I said telepathically. This was something I had never attempted before with a vision. But, since it was a vision of the present, it had a chance._

_Startled, Sarah's head snapped up and she nervously glanced around._

_**There is no reason to be afraid. It's only Tengu.**_

"_Tengu? Wh-where… H-how…?"_

_**I'm speaking telepathically. I can see you now.**_

"_C-can you help me?"_

_**I'm not sure.**_

_Sarah let out a short and near-hysterical laugh. "Not even the voices in my head can help me." She calmed herself. "Well… I have two choices. Protect myself and hurt the Doctor. Protect the Doctor and hurt myself. What… what do I do?"_

_**Sarah Jane, I cannot make such a decision for you.**_

_Sarah was silent for a time._

_**Sarah.**__ I prompted._

"_I'm thinking," she sighed. Her face suddenly lit up. "If we can talk like this, I could get you information."_

_**What about the Doctor?**_

"_I… I'm sure he'll understand."_

_**Any information you can get to me would be very much appreciated. But, if he catches you…**_

"_I-I've been caught before. Sontarans, Daleks, Cybermen, Kraals…"_

_**I know, but Koschei is completely different from anything else you've encountered. This incarnation is… less stable than his others.**_

_Sarah let out a humorless laugh. "I have first-hand experience with his instability."_

_**You aren't the only one.**_

"_Somehow… I didn't expect to be. Who…who else?"_

_**Ian and Barbara.**_

"_What did he do to them?"_

_**Compared to you, he showed them mercy.**_

"_Good. No one deserves this pain," replied Sarah. She lifted her injured hand to study it. "Painkillers would be so nice. Oh, my whole body hurts so much…"_

_**Sarah, what are you going to do?**_

"_I… I'm going to join the Master."_

_**Sarah Jane, please be careful. You have no idea just how important you are.**__ I warned. I almost added __**I love you**__, but knew this wasn't the time._

"_Don't worry. I'll be careful."_

"She's joining him," I announced.

"What? Why?" Jo was first to ask.

"She thinks she can get us information."

"And, how would she get us this information?" asked One.

I tapped my temple. "Pure telepathy. Something I or Tengu haven't tried before."

"I do hope she didn't make that decision irrationally," Five said.

"She didn't. Come on, we've still got days ahead of us."

I didn't sleep that night either. I was too worried about my Sarah Jane. About two hours after we started the next morning, my legs suddenly buckled and I ended up sitting on the rocky ground.

Julian dropped to my side, medical tricorder in hand. I pushed it away. "I'm fine," I protested.

"Did you sleep at all last night?"

I fixed a glare at Bashir. "I told you why I can't sleep," I replied, getting to my feet. I swayed for a moment and Susan steadied me. "Thank you, my child."

"Tengu, you cannot keep going like this," Bashir objected, staring into my eyes and firmly holding my shoulders.

I opened my mouth to argue. Instead I kissed Julian's cheek and smiled weakly. "When we get back to DS9, I'll sleep for however long you want me to. But, we can't waste any time here, or we might never get back home. Please, Julian, understand this."

My husband nodded his head after a long moment. I lightly kissed his lips. "Thank you," I whispered before taking lead of our group again.

We had reached the tree line when I had my next vision.


	12. Chapter 12

I think this is my longest chapter yet. Okay, I must have a little rant. I HATE TYPOS. I always have to make sure that the names Ian and Julian don't mistakenly became the (girl) names Ina and Julina. Anyway, on with the story…

Chapter 12

"_Sarah, wake up," the Master breathed into her ear. He was lying down next to her on a large bed. _

_Sarah's broken hand and wrist had been tightly wrapped in bandages and she now wore a black tunic with matching pants. _

"_Sarah Jane," the Master repeated, brushing his lips against her eyebrows._

"_Doctor?" Sarah's eyes slowly opened. _

_The Master nearly hit her, but was able to restrain himself. "Sarah, you're going to have to stop thinking and dreaming about him. You're my companion now."_

"_I-I'm sorry. It's just-"_

"_I understand. It'll get easier. Come along."_

_Sarah obediently got out of the bed and limped out of the room. The Master put his arm around her waist. He said, "You're walking better. How do you feel?"_

"_Much b-better. Thank you," Sarah answered, looking down at her feet._

_The Time Lord held her closely to him. "I apologize for not being able to do more for you. I would have been able to nearly completely heal all your wounds, but the damage the Doctor did to the Paradox Machine…"_

"_It's fine. I-I deserve this pain. After all, I didn't see your way, at first."_

_The Master stopped walking and held Sarah at arm's length. Staring into her eyes, he told her, "You don't deserve this pain. The Doctor does." He continued walking, Sarah once again held close. "Despite our earlier… disagreement, you are my companion."_

_Sarah still stared at the floor._

"_Sarah Jane, please look at me."_

_Sarah raised her head, but did not look at the Master's face. He stopped again. He gently tilted her chin up. Her eyes still skipped over his and glanced at the walls. _

"_This isn't defiance," the Master concluded. "You are truly nervous- afraid really- of me." He thought for a moment. "What I did to you before, you were my enemy. I don't show mercy to my enemies. But now, you are-"_

_Sarah gazed into the Master's eyes. "Now, I am your companion."_

"_That's right," the Time Lord smiled. _

_They went to the grey room that Ian and Barbara were in. Sarah asked quietly, "Why did you bring me here?"_

"_I want you to help me," the Master answered just as quietly. He took a knife from his pocket an approached the two sleeping teachers. "How adorable," he commented. Barbara's head was lying on Ian's chest and their hands were interlocked. _

"_Wake them up," the Master told Sarah. She moved to shake Barbara. "No," said the Time Lord. "With this." He handed her the knife. _

_Sarah took the knife with her good hand and stared at it. "You want me to…?"_

"_Yes."_

_Sarah glanced from the knife, to the teachers, to the Master, and back to the knife. "But, I-I… they're my friends."_

"_Sarah they are not your friends anymore. They are the Doctor's friends. That means that they are our enemies. Unless, of course, we turn them away from the Doctor. " In a softer tone, the Master said, "I understand that this is hard for you. I'll give you a minute." He tenderly tucked her hair behind her ear before going to a shelf and starting to prepare something. _

_Sarah stood, frozen, had shaking as she stared at the knife. "I-I can't do this," she whispered to herself._

_**Would this be a good time for divine intervention?**__ I asked. _

_**Tengu, I can't do this. I can't hurt them.**_

_**Sarah-**_

_**I'm not strong enough to do any of this. I can't-**_

_**Yes, you can. You decided to do this. That, in itself, says you can handle it.**_

_**People make wrong choices all the time.**_

"_Sarah?" the Master turned to face her._

_I paused. Did I really have the right to make the girl I loved torture her friends, no matter how much good it would do in the end? But, she had made her decision. She had joined the Master. And, we needed whatever information she could get to us to launch a successful rescue and escape. Still, I could hardly believe I was saying this. __**Sarah, do it. They'll understand.**_

_Sarah nodded to the Time Lord and approached the sleeping teachers. Her hand shook as she raised the knife above Barbara. Then she sank the blade into the back of the history teacher's shoulder. Sarah tightly closed her eyes and pulled it out as Barbara screamed from the sudden, unexpected pain. Ian attempted to break free of his restraints. Barbara turned and struck her assailant with an accidental backhand._

_Sarah cried out as she landed on her bandaged hand. Barbara didn't realize who she had knocked to the ground. She picked up the knife and kneeled over Sarah. The younger woman held up her bandaged hand in an attempt to protect herself._

"_Sarah?" Barbara asked in disbelief, dropping the knife. _

_The Master yanked the history teacher up to her feet and shoved her to Ian. Barbara turned to face the Master, who was helping Sarah up. Warm blood from Barbara's fresh shoulder injury dripped onto Ian's arm._

"_She attacked you," said the Master to Sarah. "How do you want me to punish her?"_

"_Wait. I don't understand," Barbara said._

"_What's going on?" inquired Ian._

_The Master used a remote to adjust the table so that the science teacher was now in a vertical position. Then he tenderly held Sarah close to him from behind. She shivered, but allowed his touch. The Time Lord explained, "You see, Sarah Jane decided to join me. It would be so nice for you to do the same."_

"_You can't be serious," Ian objected._

"_Sarah, is this true?" asked Barbara._

"_It is," Sarah's voice wavered. "He's right. It would be nice if you joined him as well." In answer to the Master's question, she said, "Burn and break Ian's hand."_

_The Time Lord nodded in approval. He let go of Sarah, backhanded Barbara, and strapped her to the chair. _

"_No! Don't! Why are you doing this?" cried Barbara. _

"_Unless you wish to cooperate…" the Master responded, picking up the faintly glowing metal plate. _

"_You know we won't," Ian objected. _

_The Master didn't respond. Instead, he pressed the hot plate against the stab wound on Barbara's shoulder. She whimpered as the wound was cauterized. _

_Then the Master undid the restraint on Ian's right wrist. The science teacher didn't have a chance to resist before his wrist and hand were pressed between the table and the orange-hot plate. Ian bit his lip until it bled. But, he couldn't hold back his cries as the Time Lord took a short heavy stick and started crushing the bones in his hand. Barbara was in tears, openly crying at her friend's torment. _

_Sarah noticed the Master's annoyance, and took the cue to take it upon herself to deal with the history teacher. She picked up the knife and added another slash to her arm. When Barbara shrieked, Sarah held the knife point against the teacher's ribs. Both teachers were scared into silence. Ian's now useless hand dangled by his side. _

"_Now, now, you both can't be quiet," remarked the Master before striking the science teacher with the short stick with enough force to crack a few ribs. Ian gasped._

"_Please, stop this," Barbara cried. _

"_I-I thought he made his terms clear. J-Join him or keep going through this," Sarah nearly shouted to control the waver in her voice. She swept the knife across Barbara's cheek, leaving behind a thin crimson trail. _

"_We won't, and you know it," responded Barbara. _

"_That's what Sarah Jane here said," the Master replied. "She soon saw the error of her ways. I suggest that you follow her lead. _

"_Sarah," Barbara addressed. "Why are you doing this?"_

_Sarah's mask of confidence slipped for a second. She went over to whisper in the Time Lord's ear, "This isn't working." _

"_Shall I up the punishment to a more physical and emotional level?" he whispered back._

_Sarah knew she couldn't refuse and hesitantly nodded her head. _

_The Master tucked a stray lock of her brown hair behind her ear and smiled affectionately. Then he undid the restraints holding Ian down and chained his wrists to the hanging manacles in the center of the room. The teacher didn't put up much resistance, figuring the torture would be worse if he did. The Time Lord untied Barbara and handed her a whip. As Sarah had originally done with the knife, Barbara stared at the weapon. _

_Sarah took a breath. "Hit him with it until you are told to stop," she instructed. _

"_What? I-I can't," Barbara refused. _

"_Fine then," responded the Master. "I'll shatter every bone on the right side of his body."_

"_Barbara, my dear, I hate to say this, but just do as he says. Please," Ian said. _

"_Don't hold back your strength," the Master instructed. "Don't stop until I tell you to." _

_The history teacher pulled back her arm and brought the whip against Ian's skin. She had closed her eyes halfway through and the whip bit the back of Ian's thigh, instead of his back like she had aimed. Ian clenched his teeth at the sudden pain._

"_You're going too slow," warned the Master when Barbara hesitated. "Don't let him get used to every strike. And keep your eyes open. _

_Barbara took a deep sobbing breath before repeatedly bringing the whip down on her companion's back. It wasn't until strike twenty when Ian could no longer hold the agony in. At his first cry, Barbara dropped the whip. _

"_Pick it up," Sarah ordered. "The Master did not tell you to stop."_

"_Please… I can't."_

"_Do it," Sarah commanded. _

_The history teacher bit her lip before picking up the whip and resuming the torture. The Master told her to stop at strike thirty-five. Ian was left breathing heavily and hanging limply from the manacles, his broken wrist being pulled taut. Sarah tilted his chin so that he could look at her face. "Join the Master," the young woman said._

_Ian turned his head away from her touch. He accused, "It took much more than this for you to join him, Sarah Jane."_

_The Master shot the teacher in the side to stop him from saying anything else before undoing the manacles. Ian fell to his hands and knees. He cried out and collapsed the rest of the way as his injured hand came in contact with the unforgiving floor. _

"_Ian!" Barbara cried, dropping to her friend's side. _

_The Master gestured to Sarah, who pulled Barbara away and held the knife to her neck to keep her from interfering. The Time Lord commanded, "Get up, Mr Chesterton." Ian stayed put, still heavily breathing. "Get up," the Master repeated, kicking at the new laser burn on Ian's side._

"_Alright, I'm-I'm getting up," Ian responded. He slowly stood and nearly stumbled into Barbara. _

_The Master shoved Ian into the vertical table and shackled Barbara into the hanging manacles. Once Ian had recovered, the Time Lord pressed the whip into his hands. The teacher shook his head. _

"_Then, I'll kill you," the Master replied, obviously wanting Sarah to make the only threat that would influence Ian._

"_Kill me," Ian said._

"_I'll kill her if you don't do it," Sarah threatened, holding the knife on the side of Barbara's neck._

"_Sarah, I know you. You wouldn't do it," Ian reasoned._

_Sarah glanced away for a moment. Ian was unknowingly making it difficult for her to keep playing the part. "Would you like to test that statement?" Sarah asked. In emphasis, she made a shallow two-inch long cut in the history teacher's neck. Sarah's shaky hand nearly made it longer and deeper._

_Ian's hand shook in fury, nearly dropping the whip. He stated, "The Doctor made a mistake when he chose you to travel with him."_

"_That's his problem, not mine," Sarah responded._

_The Master sighed and took the whip from the science teacher's hand. It was quickly replaced with one that had barbed wire wrapped around it. "He whispered, "Congratulations, you've just upgraded. You don't want to know what the next upgrade is." Aloud, he said, "Same rules apply. No love-taps."_

_Ian bit his lip, trying to control his rage. He fixed his livid glare on Sarah before bringing the weapon down on Barbara's back. _

_The woman screamed. This whip didn't just slice into the skin. It also ripped away small pieces of flesh as it was brought back up. Ian nearly dropped it. He steeled himself to strike again._

"_You're giving her too much time to recover," the Master chided. "Would you like to upgrade again?"_

_Ian shook his head and continued with the torture of himself and his best friend. _

_The Master chose at this time to have an intimate moment with Sarah. He held her closely from behind and gently, slowly started kissing her neck. Sarah knew better than to resist, so she leaned back into him and accepted it. Ian could barely see this intimacy because of the river of tears falling from his reddening eyes._

_The Master did not allow him to stop until Barbara was completely unconscious, slumped in the chains and shallowly breathing. Ian was openly crying and sobbing now. He held his friend close and begged, "Let her down now."_

_The Master undid the manacles with his laser screwdriver. Ian was too exhausted and injured to hold Barbara upright and they both fell to the floor. Ian sat up and gathered his friend into his arms. _

_The Master stopped him by kicking him in the head. The blow was enough to send Ian back to the floor, his right hand exposed. The Time Lord stomped on the broken hand. Ian yelped and held it against his chest. _

_When it was apparent that the Master wasn't going to hurt him again, Ian cradled Barbara to him. He whispered her name into her dark hair and kissed her forehead. _

_The Master nodded to Sarah, who followed him to the door. He turned to her and whispered in her ear, "Try to persuade them to join us." Sarah nodded and turned back to Ian and Barbara. The Time Lord left the room. _

_Ian did not look up from the bleeding unconscious woman in his arms. "What did he offer you?" he asked Sarah._

"_Wh-what?" she stammered, slowly approaching._

"_Don't come any closer. I don't- I don't want to see you."_

"_Ian-"_

"_What did he offer you?" Ian nearly shouted through clenched teeth. _

"_Sarah stuttered incoherently. _

_Ian let out a short grim laugh. "Y-you're not so confident now that… now that he's not here, are you?"_

_Sarah looked down at her feet._

"_We… we saw you. You were just… laying there in your own blood. And you… you said something."_

_Sarah's head snapped up at this._

"_What did he offer you, Sarah?"_

_Sarah crouched next to the teacher. She said in a hushed tone, "Ian, I can't explain here. Please, try to understand that I have to do this. I have to, for our survival."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_I can't explain here. I'm so sorry. I had to do this. I only hope I won't have to do it again. Please understand." _

"_All this better be for a good reason."_

"_It is." Sarah wiped her eyes, went to the door, glanced back at her friends, and left. _

_The Master was leaning against the corridor wall. "Well?" he prompted._

"_Nothing," Sarah replied. "They didn't learn their lesson." _

_The Time Lord nodded and gestured to two reptilians. He ordered them, "Take Ian and Barbara to the other companions. Knock Ian out if you have to."_

_The hunters nodded and went into the grey room. They emerged a quick moment later with the two unconscious teachers slung over their shoulders. The Master and Sarah followed them to the prison cells. _

_The Master undid the force-field that kept Peri, Grace, Jamie, and Ace inside. Once the reptilians dumped the teachers in the cell and the Master reactivated the force-field, the companions gathered around Ian and Barbara. Doctor Grace Halloway was already assessing the situation._

_The Master said, "Grace, I had two seriously hurt prisoners on my hands. Since Doctor Julian Bashir is with the other Doctors, I thought I should bring them to you."_

"_You sadistic bastard!" Grace shouted. "What do you expect me to do with them? I have no supplies."_

"_Do what you can. I'm sure they'll live," was the Time Lord's response. _

_Ace had been staring at Sarah the whole time. "I know you," the teenage girl said. "The Doctor showed me pictures of all his past companions. You're Sarah… Sarah Jane Smith."_

"_If I am?"_

"_Why are you with the Master?" _

"_I joined him."_

"_She's being modest," said the Master. "She also helped me with Ian and Barbara."_

"_You did this?" asked Peri in disbelief._

_Sarah had no choice but to tell the truth. "Yes, I helped."_

"_You traitorous witch," Jamie spat. "How could you? We companions have to stick together, not betray each other."_

_Ace silently fumed. A few seconds later, she launched herself at the force-field. "Traitor!" the girl accused. She shouted, "Sarah Jane Smith is nothing but a traitor!" _

"_Time we left," said the Master. _

_The Time Lord and Sarah hurried away, Ace's cry ringing in her ears. _


	13. Chapter 13

Just so you know, Sarah, Ian, and Barbara are my fave companions. That may have been hard to tell with the way I treat them in this story…. Oh, and it may take a few days at least to update again. Mwahahahaha…

Chapter 13

I clenched my fists and extended my claws. Susan noticed this and held my hand until the fists loosened and the claws retracted.

Over the course of the day, Sarah told me valuable information as she learned it herself. It wasn't until night returned that the next vision came.

"_You've done well today," the Master complimented, walking with Sarah Jane. "Don't let what that upstart girl said get to you. You are not a traitor. You simply a person who understands that power will get you somewhere."_

"_Thank you."_

"_But, there is one more thing I want you to do before you call it a day."_

"_Anything."_

"_I want you to tell your Doctor that you've joined me." _

_Sarah looked away. The Master tenderly tilted her head back up. "Sarah, I know that this will probably be the hardest thing for you, but it must be done. If I told him, he wouldn't believe me."_

_Sarah nodded after a minute. "Lead the way, Master."_

_The boy-faced Time Lord smiled and lead her back to the prison block. He let her into Four's cell and reactivated the force-field. _

_Four instantly enveloped Sarah into his arms. When she didn't respond to the embrace, he held her at arm's length and looked into her eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked._

"_She hasn't been hypnotized," the Master answered. "I'm sure she's had enough of that with you."_

"_Sarah, wake up. It's me, it's the Doctor."_

_Sarah spoke up. "I know."_

"_What's wrong? What else has he done to you?"_

_Sarah hardened her features. "Nothing."_

"_Why are you acting like this?"_

"_Doctor, I came to say good-bye."_

"_What? Where is he taking you?"_

"_He's isn't taking me anywhere. I joined him."_

"_You what?"_

"_I am the Master's companion now."_

"_He did something to you."_

_Sarah shook her head. "I joined him of my own accord."_

"_Sarah Jane, please tell me why you're doing this."_

"_I saw the error of my ways."_

"_The error of your ways? He has brainwashed you."_

"_I assure you that he has done nothing of the sort."_

"_What did he threaten you with? His isn't you."_

"_What you think no longer matters, Doctor. I am no longer your friend or companion. I am his."_

_The Doctor closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he said, "Sarah Jane, I lo-"_

"_Whatever it is, it means nothing to me. Nothing," Sarah interrupted. Hearing those five words would have shattered her resolve and make her blow her cover. She shrugged Four's hands off her shoulders and gestured to the Master, who let her out. _

"_Do you remember the way to your room on the Paradox Machine?" the Master asked her. She nodded. "Good girl," the black-suited Time Lord said. "Your day is over. Go get some rest."_

_Once Sarah was out of earshot, Four asked, "Why, Koschei?"_

"_She is your one weakness in this incarnation. Your love for her is your weakness. I simply did what I do best. I exploited your weakness. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got other matters to attend to."_

I knew that I had to tell Four Sarah's reason for joining the Master before he got too lost in grief.

**Contact.** I started.

It took him a couple of minutes to answer back. **Contact.**

**Hello, Doctor.**

**Tengu?**

**Yes. Listen to me. Sarah joined him to get me information so that a rescue and escape will not be a failure.**

**I knew there had to be a reason for this. But, if she gets caught-**

**I know. I already told her how this version of Koschei is so different from anything she has ever faced.**

**Sarah's a brave girl.**

**As she has proved time and again. That's one reason why we love her so much.**

**Yes. Tengu, thank you for clearing this up.**

**Always.** I replied before breaking the connection. 

The quote 'rest is for the weary, sleep is for the dead' summed up all my nights in the Death Zone. Tonight was no different. I figured that we were about a whole day away from the fortress and our freedom. That estimated day assumed that nothing would go wrong. Fate decided to be cruel.

The next morning brought more information from Sarah. That afternoon brought a disaster.

We were walking on a mountain-side above a narrow valley. I was, as usual, quite some way ahead of my party. My impatience and desperation to get to Sarah contributed to that. I was also thinking- more like brooding, actually.

I turned when I heard running footsteps. Susan caught up with me. She asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"Why I'm here." I put my arm around her shoulders and kept walking. "I'm wondering why Koschei brought Bashir and me here. His chances of winning would have been better if I wasn't here."

"Maybe he made a mistake," the Gallifreyan teenager suggested.

"Koschei doesn't make big mistakes like this. He could have picked a time when Nine and Rose were alone, but he didn't. What is my role?"

"Maybe… he wanted to give us a fair chance."

I shook my head. "How I wish that could a possibility. No. Koschei isn't a very fair man at all. He has no honor in his ways."

"If he was so… despicable, why did Grandfather even become friends with him?"

"Now that's a very fair question, my child. We were young boys, and Koschei was actually sane at that age. We had a thing in common. We felt… restricted in the traditional Gallifreyan society. We found it boring, and were always finding ways to shake up the clinical sameness of it all."

"Yes, I can imagine you being the troublemaker," Susan commented.

I allowed a smile to form on my face. "Yes, I suppose I was. Anyway, it was after our teachers had us look into the Vortex. It was meant to prepare us to become fully-fledged Time Lords. I don't know what Koschei saw… but he was never quite the same since."

"And he's been getting worse, hasn't he? I mean, Three said that his version of Koschei was dangerous and little insane. And Five said his was a bit worse than that."

I nodded at Susan's deduction. "Exactly. The one before this one actually tried to steal my body and the rest of my regenerations."

"And this one is just plain psychotic and vengeful."

"Indeed he is. He-"

I stopped and listened. Susan whispered, "What is it?"

"There's a disturbance in the Force," I whispered back. I glanced behind to see that the rest of our party had also felt it and stopped to listen.

Suddenly, Susan fell against me as the ground viciously shook. I nearly fell as well. I looked up to the top of the mountain we were on. "Oh, Rassilon's Force. This is not the time for that." I turned to the rest of our group and shouted, "Find cover! We've got an incoming rockslide!"

Everyone ran. Hundreds of boulders were crashing down the slope towards us. I grabbed Susan's hand and pulled her down as a small, but equally lethal, boulder went over our heads. We scrambled to our feet and kept running, looking for anything that could protect us. I spotted a small outcropping in the mountainside and pulled Susan after me toward it. Unfortunately, I didn't see the flying rock before it struck my head. My vision instantly faded to blackness….

I opened my eyes with a groan. There was stone above my head and surrounded me on three sides. "Susan?" I called, coughing. I looked to the unblocked entrance to this little cave. All I saw was… white. White? That couldn't be right. The mountainside and valley were brown and green from dirt and grass. Where had all the white come from?

I stood and stumbled out of the outcropping. I tightly closed my eyes from the light reflecting from the sun and off of the white substance. I reached up to feel the throbbing spot on my head. I glanced at the purple blood that came onto my hand. "Just what I need now: a concussion," I muttered. I called, "Susan," again as my eyes adjusted to the bright glare. I noticed the low position of the sun in the sky. It had been high before. How long had I been out?

I saw Susan helping someone out of the white. I took a step and nearly sank down. I gasped at the extreme cold my leg was suddenly encased in. "It couldn't have just been a rockslide. Oh no, there had to be a bloody avalanche as well," I complained. "Damn snow." The effort taken to pull my leg out of the deep snow nearly caused the other one to get trapped in addition.

I somehow safely made it to Susan, who was helping Rose and Three out of the cold snow. I grabbed Three's arms and assisted Rose and Susan in getting him out.

"Poor Jo," Rose shivered. "She must be freezing."

"Why?" asked Three.

"Did you happen to see what she was wearing? Maybe you should write her a dress code for traveling with you," Rose answered.

"Perhaps I should one day. Come on, we've got to find the others," Three led the way. "Jo?" he called over the new white landscape. "Jo?"

"Over here," called a distinct Northern accent.

"Doctor!" Rose called back, rushing to where he waved from. She ended up sinking waist deep halfway there. Three grabbed her from behind and hauled her out. "You know, I used to wish for snow every winter. Now I'm starting to wish I hadn't," Rose said.

We made our way over more carefully. Nine had unburied Jo, who was gasping and violently shivering. Three took his cloak and jacket off and wrapped them around his companion's shoulders. The side of Nine's face had a trail of dried orange-red blood on it.

"There's no one else over here," I stated. "Come on, this way."

I led us to an exposed passage that cut through the mountain. The avalanche had spilled over here as well. "Grandfather?" Susan called out. The sound echoed.

We finally caught sight of the rest of our party. They were in a round open area of the passage. One and Five were bent over, trying to get Tegan and Bashir from the snow.

"Grandfather!" Susan exclaimed, running across the snowy clearing.

I saw the danger before she did. "Susan, stop!" I ordered.

"Exterminate! Exterminate!" cried a group of Daleks as they glided over the snow towards Bashir, Tegan, One, and Five.

"Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha!" chanted a troop of Sontarans as they marched towards me, Jo, Rose, Nine, and Three.

"Nobody move," I warned.

"I wish I had the option," Tegan called back.

Despite the Daleks and the Sontarans, it was Susan I was most worried about. She hadn't glanced at either new group since she froze in the middle of the clearing. The Gallifreyan girl trembled as she stared into the blank silver face of a Raston warrior robot.


	14. Chapter 14

Yay, new chappie. I had totally put myself in a bind with the last chapter, and needed a little time to write this one. Also, I went on a couple day trips over the weekends. Enjoy…

Chapter 14

"What are we going to do?" asked Jo.

I was silent as a thought the situation over. Susan was the only one exposed to the Raston warrior robot. The rest of us were shielded from its sensors by trees and boulders. "We can't cross the clearing, or we'll be shot by the Raston. I'm surprised it let Susan get so far."

"Yes, but if we stay here, we'll get shot by the short potato heads," Rose said.

"And they're still stuck in the snow, sitting ducks for the Daleks," Jo said of the other half of our group.

"We're surrounded, plain and simple," Nine stated.

The Sontarans were still chanting "Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha!" as they marched closer. The Daleks weren't being quiet either.

"Are they all working together?" asked Rose.

"Do they know they're supposed to be?" I rephrased.

"A Raston can be programmed to not shoot certain species," Three said.

"But, did the Master program it to not shoot Daleks and Sontarans before sending it here?" inquired Nine.

"There's only one way to find out," said Three before the Sontarans stopped in front of us. Our friends across the clearing were now surrounded by Daleks.

"I am Commander Storn," the lead Sontaran introduced.

Three wasted no time in seizing Storn's arm and flinging him into the clearing, where he tripped over a rock and fell into the snow. The Raston didn't move its head or shoot a long metal spike at the fallen alien. "I guess they all are working together," I concluded as the commander got to his feet.

Storn wasted no time in shooting Three with a green bolt from his weapon. Three cried out and slid down the boulder to the snow. "Defiance will get you nowhere," the commander warned.

"Storn, are you here by choice?" asked Nine. "You can't have purposely landed here."

"It is true that my ship appeared near a fortress," Storn admitted. "But, once the Master told me of his plan, I was a perfectly willing paricipant."

"And the Daleks? The Raston robot?" Three asked with a quiet groan of pain.

"Also willing participants."

"Tell me, Storn, what does that do for your ego, having to work with Daleks and a Raston?" I inquired. "I mean, Sontarans pride themselves on single-handedly defeating opposing forces," I added in an attempt to rile him up.

Susan let out a shriek of surprise that was followed by, "It disappeared."

"Susan, do not move. It's playing a game with you, enticing you to move," Nine called out.

"Storn, I'm waiting for your answer," I said.

The commander shot me in the chest and served a backhand to my face that sent me sprawling into the open clearing. I barely brought my hands up in time to catch the Raston's metal spike before it impaled my stomach. When I let it drop to the snow, I had to roll onto my front to prevent another spike from killing me. I raised my head to find two silver feet directly in front of me. After a few moments, I Force-shoved the Raston into a boulder. It was still. I got up, grabbed Susan's hand, and ran back to the group of Sontarans. By then, the Raston was up and alert.

I held Susan tightly against me. "Storn, I don't think the Master would have been very pleased if either of us were killed," I warned.

"What are you going to do with us?" asked Jo.

"We are to wait until the Master gives us our next orders," Storn answered. "And you shall be silent."

We were content with being silent for about an hour, thinking of plans. During that hour, I had a conversation with Sarah Jane.

**Tengu, are there?** she asked.

**Yes. Sarah, our arrival is going to be delayed until tomorrow.** I told her.

**I know. The Master sent the Sontarans, Daleks, and a Raston robot after you.**

**I'm sitting in front of Commander Storn right now.**

**I tried to warn you earlier, but I couldn't reach you.**

**Blame a rockslide and a rather enthusiastic boulder for that. Other than some bruises, we're all fine.**

**Good.** Sarah then told me more information. When she had finished, she asked, **What is your plan?**

**Don't quite have one yet. But, don't worry about us. We'll be fine. Sarah, please be careful with Koschei.**

**I will. Until tomorrow.**

**Yes.** And I cut off the telepathic link.

"Are we going to do anything yet?" asked Rose quietly. "My butt is soaked and frozen."

"Give us a minute more to finalize our plan," Nine whispered back.

"Plan? Do you seriously have one?"

"Of course not."

Rose groaned. I smiled before extending my claws and thrusting them through the nearest Sontaran's armor. He died with a long moan of pain. Another Sontaran aimed his gun at me and fired. I tilted my head and launched myself at him, claws outstretched. Nine and Three took the cue to start fights of their own.

Storn leapt onto my back and pounded an armored fist onto the back of my neck. I fell to the ground, the short commander still on top of me. Susan tried to strike him with a fist, but he caught it and backhanded her away. This small distraction provided me with the second I needed. I used the Force to send a large stone flying to his face. He let out a short cry of surprise and rolled off of me. We stood up at the same time, and, for a quick moment, sized each other up.

Storn charged into me, knocking me off my feet and into the Raston's view. I slightly raised my head and felt the pole of a metal spike kiss the back of my head. Storn wasted no time in jerking me to my feet and serving a chop to my chest. I reeled back from the blow and ducked as another spike was hurled my way. The brutish little commander thought he had me right where he wanted me. He came at me again. I twisted out of his way and cried out as a spike grazed my arm.

"You should stand still," Storn said.

"I should," I agreed as I slashed at his face with my claws. He jumped back. I did the same as a metal spike buried itself in the snow where my feet had been. Fighting in the open was going to be tricky.

I crouched again as another arrow sailed through the air and barely missed my head. Storn tackled me to the ground, and we exchanged punches. He took hold of my shoulders and roled us over until I was on top of him. I rolled us again to avoid the oncoming metal arrow and tried to get him between me and it. He saw my objective and we kept up the game of 'get the other shot by the Raston.' That is, until my back slammed into the base of a tree. I glimpsed the line of metal spikes that followed us and were half-buried in the snow. Then my vision swam when Storn lifted me to my feet and smashed the back of my head into the tree trunk. I needed to end this soon. I head-butt the little commander and sank my claws into his shoulders. I spun us around, and I turned to face the Raston. The instant I saw its metal spike head my way, I ducked. Storn was pinned to the tree by a spike through his stomach.

"Sontar-ha!" he wheezed out his last battle-cry.

I pulled the metal spike from his body and faced the Raston again. We hurled our javelins at the same time. I ducked. The Raston did not. My arrow went through the robot's head, resulting in an exploding shower of sparks. The Raston warrior robot's body stiffened, then fell to the snow.

I dropped flat on my back just before three blue-green beams converged on the spot where my chest had just been.

"You will surrender," cried one of the three Daleks that surrounded me. Now that the Raston was no longer a problem, my friends were fighting with the Sontarans in the open.

"I will not surrender," I replied, lifting the metal spikes behind the Daleks with the Force. "Will you surrender instead?"

"That is not logical," responded a Dalek.

Without another word, I sent the spikes flying into their armored shells. By the time I was done, the three Daleks resembled pincushions. I didn't wait for the other three Daleks to approach before resending the spikes into them. Now all that was left was the mostly-intact Sontaran troop.

I caught sight of Tegan and Susan in the middle of a circle of Sontarans, solid tree branches in their hands. I jumped over the heads of the Sontarans and landed in front of the two companions. "Targeting two girls? Is that the Sontaran honor?" I taunted.

I was rewarded with the group of angry aliens charging at us. I let go and surrendered myself to instinct. Within a moment, all the Sontarans targeting us were dead or dying. I told Tegan and Susan to meet us at the end of the open passage. By then, Nine, Three, and Five were dealing with the few Sontarans left. I helped them, and we regrouped with Susan and Tegan. Bashir checked everyone over with his tricorder.

"Come on, we've lost a lot of time," I said.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The next evening, with only two hours left of traveling, the worst vision of all came to me.

_Sarah Jane was looking out over the horizon from the highest balcony of the fortress. She was surprised from her thoughts when the Master came up from behind and whispered her name in her ear._

"_Yes, Master?" Sarah asked, turning to face him._

_The Time Lord interlocked his fingers behind her back and looked down at her. "Something has been bothering me since yesterday."_

"_What's wrong?"_

"_All day yesterday, and a bit of the day before, the Paradox Machine had detected telepathic energy inside this fortress. I haven't been able to figure out why."_

"_Maybe the Doctors are trying to communicate with each other. They must be lonely without their companions with them."_

"_I rigged their cells so that they couldn't do that. Do you have any other ideas?" The Master watched Sarah's face._

_She said, "No," and looked away. _

"_Sarah, this is important. Please look at me."_

_She looked at his face. "I-I have no… no other ideas." Under the Master's penetrating stare, Sarah's hands trembled and her lips quivered._

"_Why are you lying to me?" the Master bluntly inquired. "It's you, isn't it? You and one of the Doctors out there… no… you and Tengu." Sarah tried to keep a straight face, but her eyes widened and she looked down. The Master continued, "Clever. You and Tengu established a telepathic link. But why?"_

_The Time Lord tightly seized Sarah's bandaged wrist and suddenly pushed her over the edge of the balcony. Sarah screamed from fear and the pain of being held up by only her broken hand. She tightly squeezed her eyes shut to stop herself from looking down. _

"_You've been giving Tengu information, haven't you? Answer me!"_

"_Y-yes! Please, pull me-me up!" Sarah pleaded._

"_I should let you fall-"_

"_No! Please don't!"_

"_But… you don't deserve a quick death. That would be merciful." The Master pulled her back up in a fluid motion. "You shall not die at all. Instead, you shall live the rest of your life in agony."_

"_I-I didn't tell her much at-"_

"_IT was going on all day yesterday. Don't try to lie to me again, Sarah Jane. I warned you what would happen if you betrayed me."_

_Sarah was now in tears, begging for the Master to let her go. He pulled her along after him. In desperation, she raked her nails across his face and elbowed him in the temple. The Master let go of her hand from the surprise and clutched his bleeding face. Sarah shoved him into the stairs and ran._

_Sarah knew that she couldn't escape, so she ran to the prison cells. "Doctor!" she called when she had reached Four's force-field._

_Four was instantly against the force-field, wanting, more than ever, to hold Sarah in his arms. _

"_He… he found out about Tengu and me."_

"_Then run, Sarah."_

"_I-I have nowhere to run. I… I needed to see you again, before he catches me."_

"_Oh, Sarah Jane…" the Doctor held up his hand as close to the force-field as he could. Sarah did the same._

_About a minute passed like this until the Master showed up, two reptilians flanking him. He took hold of Sarah's hair and took her over to the other companions. They all looked at the Master and Sarah in anticipation. The Master said, "Take a good look at them, Sarah. I'm going to give you a choice. You can choose any of them to take your place."_

_Sarah's gaze settled on each companion in turn. When Ace saw her tear-filled eyes, her hard face softened, and she said, "Sarah Jane, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were trying to help us."_

_Sarah didn't reply. She turned to the malicious Time Lord. "I choose me."_

"_So be it." He took her back to the fourth Doctor's cell. He looked over her head and told Four, "You taught her well. Unfortunately, that'll work to her disadvantage." The Master nodded to the reptilians. They seized Sarah's arms and started pulling her away from the prison cell._

"_I love you," were Sarah's last words to her Doctor._

"_My brave Sarah Jane, I've always loved you," were his final words to her. _

_The reptilians threw Sarah into the White Room, which had been cleaned after she had joined the Master. The Time Lord strode in and locked the door. "Give me your hand," he instructed after shoving Sarah into the table._

_Sarah tentatively offered him her bandaged hand. The Master unwrapped the bandage. He gently held her hand between both of his for a moment. He grinned, then abruptly twisted the shattered bones of her hand and wrist. Sarah dropped to her knees with a screech of pain. The Master kept hold of her wrist and said, "Soon, every Human on Earth will be kneeling at my feet like this, begging for mercy. You, Sarah Jane Smith, could have been the one by my side, with no fear. And you decide that the Doctor is more than you are. You are right, in the grand scheme of things. But, why not save yourself all this pain and fear?" _

"_Being by your side, watching as you murder and enslave my people, would go against every moral and conscience I have," Sarah answered, barely controlling the waver in her voice._

_The Master twisted her wrist again and, after a shriek, she was silent. He ranted, "Morals and conscience? Whatever happened to your sense of survival? Oh yes, the Doctor. I believe he has thrust upon all you companions his sense of noble chivalry. Gone is your sense of survival at all costs. It was interesting when Ian and Barbara refused my offer, even though the Doctor kidnapped them and can't get them back home. I can get them back."_

"_It wouldn't be home with you there."_

_With a growl, the Master raised Sarah's hand and brought it down on the edge of the white table. Sarah cradled the mass of crushed bone to her chest whimpering. The Time Lord kicked her ribs until she doubled over, her forehead touching the cold floor. She stiffened when the sterile touch of a knife kissed the base of her neck. Without breaking the skin, the Master neatly cut open the entire back of Sarah's tunic, exposing the partially-healed whip scars on her torso as the tunic fell away._

_Sarah shivered from the sudden cold. Then she closed her eyes and was still. The Master didn't mind this until after he had cut away all her clothes and chained her onto the white table by her wrists and ankles._

_The Master's eyes flashed dangerously when he recognized what Sarah was doing. He stared at her nearly-serene face. "Ah," he breathed. "'Our Place.' You've retreated somewhere in your own mind. The Doctor taught you that as well, did he? 'Our Place' is a place in your mind for you and your Doctor. I can do whatever I want to you, and you won't feel a thing. Well, that won't do at all."_

_The Master viciously penetrated Sarah's mind. Sarah screamed as the Time Lord utterly destroyed 'Our Place.' She openly sobbed and whimpered when he finished ravaging her mind. _

_The Master laughed. "You only want the Doctor in your mind. You trust him- you love that much that you are willing to share your mind with him. You want him to love you that much, where he'll share his mind with you. And now, that he's admitted that he's always loved you…"_

"_P-please…" Sarah begged, shivering from the cold and shock._

_The Master shook his head. "Your punishment is just beginning." He laid his hand on her abdomen, trailed it up between her breasts, and up to her throat. _

_Sarah closed her eyes, trying to find that safe haven. She couldn't, because it now lay in ruins in her mind. _

_The Master shook his head again and went to the white cabinet. Sarah tilted her head back to see what he was doing. She struggled to get out of the chains to no avail. The Time Lord laughed at this as he approached, holding a steel club below Sarah's field of vision. _

"_The Doctor called you brave, but I call you stupid. You could have had it all, Sarah Jane. Safety, comfort, power… All you had to do was whatever little task I requested. But, your loyalty wouldn't let you!" His last word was combined with Sarah's scream when he brought the club down on her foot. The bones were crushed. _

"'_My brave Sarah Jane,'" the Master mocked, striking her now broken foot with the club again. "Why not let one of the other companions take your place. Your loyalty to them… You don't know them. Why do you think they deserve mercy? What have they done to prove themselves to you? Ace and Jamie called you a filthy traitorous witch to your face," the Time Lord ranted, attacking Sarah's injured hand._

_But, Sarah wasn't listening. The pain was becoming too much for her undivided attention. The Master shattered the bones in her other foot. He undid the chains holding her to the table and shoved her down to the floor. She yelped when her three broken extremities hit the unforgiving white surface._

"_You're not feeling so brave now, are you?" the Master goaded, crouching down by her side. He laid a hand on her ribcage. Sarah attempted to fight him of with her uninjured hand. She caught his offending hand, brought it up to her mouth, and bit it. She took the resulting opportunity to attempt to crawl away. Needless to say, Sarah didn't get very far before the Master seized her hair and pulled her up to her knees. He nearly dislocated her jaw by a blow to her mouth with the club. The next few strikes snapped five ribs. Sarah's struggle to draw breath spurred the Master on even further. _

_The Time Lord dragged Sarah back to the area next to the table. He let go of her hair and ordered, "Stand up."_

"…_c-can't…" Sarah moaned._

"_You will stand, or I will set you on fire and douse the flames only when your entire body is nothing but a third-degree burn," the Time Lord threatened. _

_Sarah cried and reached up to the table edge with her uninjured hand. With two broken feet and one broken hand, it took her a few long minutes to stand, lying across the table. She tried to put most of her weight on the heels of her feet._

"_Good. Now, turn and face me."_

_Sarah strained to fully stand on her own and turn around. She heavily leaned back against the table. The Master let her suffer like this for a minute. Then he leaned in close and sensually buried his face in the nape of Sarah's neck. He deeply inhaled and whispered in her ear. "I had grown fond of you over the past few days, Sarah. But, unlike with you, that is not a weakness for me." The Master pressed a trail of lingering kisses from her bare collarbone up to her forehead. He stepped back, watched Sarah tremble for a moment longer, then broke the shin of one of her legs, and then shattered the kneecap of her other leg. As she collapsed, the Master caught her by the neck and squeezed. It had been already hard enough for Sarah to breathe with the broken ribs. This strangulation made it impossible. When she was on the verge of losing consciousness, the Master lifted her up by the neck and threw her broken body into the white cabinet. Sarah's naked form crumpled to the floor as various torture instruments tumbled down on top of her. _

_The Master didn't allow Sarah to recover before he aimed a kick at her bruised throat. She wheezed and coughed, desperately struggling to breathe. The last strike the Master served went to Sarah's broken ribs. _

_Amazingly, Sarah Jane was still conscious when the Master hung her from the hanging manacles by her wrists. The Master half-smiled and left the room. _

_Before she finally lost consciousness, Sarah Jane Smith managed to say, "…Doc…tor… l-love… you…"_


	16. Chapter 16

Woot, new chappie. The Master's game isn't over yet, boys and girls.

Chapter 16

I crashed down to my knees. I couldn't breathe. Bashir and Three were instantly at my side.

"Tengu, breathe," Bashir prompted.

I shook my head when the air didn't come. But, after a moment, I didn't need air.

"What's happening?" Bashir urgently asked. "She's not breathing."

"Respiratory bypass," Three answered. "Time Lord characteristic. She's in shock."

"How long will this respiratory bypass last?" inquired Bashir, checking me over with his tricorder.

Three didn't answer. "I'm going to calm her mind and find out what happened." He took the TARDIS key from around his neck and held it up in front of my eyes. Three's soft singing voice filled my ears. The spinning key filled my vision. I relaxed and started breathing. Once I was calm, the voice asked, "What happened? What did you see?"

"Sarah… my Sarah Jane… Koschei found out about her telepathically sending me information. He punished her… hurt her… almost killed her…"

"How much longer until we reach the fortress?"

"Only two hours…" I answered before the spinning key stopped. I stood up, but fell back down at the realization. "Oh Rassilon, I was only two hours away. Two hours! Koschei was delaying us yesterday with the Sontarans and Daleks."

Nine put a hand on my shoulder. "Then its time we came up with a plan, using the information Sarah gave you."

I nodded. During the final leg of our journey, we came up with a plan. One that I knew would work, if all things went the way they needed to.

We snuck around to the side of the fortress. There was a boarded-up servant's entrance. I quickly made short work of the slats of wood and metal across the doorframe. I let the other Doctors and companions go in first. Before I stepped inside, Bashir held me an arm's length away. He said, "Tengu, please, don't do anything you'll later regret."

"Bashir, I'm desperate, not stupid. I know what I'm doing." I shrugged his hands from my shoulders and followed the others.

I led them past barracks full of sleeping reptilian hunters and to the prison cells. The first cell we came to was Six's. He remarked, "Well, it's about time the rest of me got here."

I didn't even bother with entering the passcode to open the force-field. I simply destroyed the circuitry inside the keypad with my claws. I let my other selves deal with the other imprisoned Doctors and went to free the companions. Bashir joined me as soon as I had deactivated the force-field.

The medical doctor dropped to his knees in front of Ian and Barbara, who were sitting against the wall. Bashir took out his tricorder and started waving it over them.

"Who are you?" asked Grace.

"Doctor Julian Bashir, Starfleet Medical."

"You're a doctor from the future?"

"Yes. And I've read about you, Doctor Grace Halloway."

Peri cleared her throat. "I hope you're here to get us out of here."

"We're going to do better than that, my dear," said Six. "We're going to defeat the Master and get ourselves out of here."

"Susan," I addressed. "You can still feel the TARDIS?"

"I can."

"Good girl. I want you to take all the companions there. You shouldn't have any trouble from guards."

"Professor, I want to stay with you," Ace told Seven.

"Ace, we are going to need you, Jamie, and Bashir for a little while longer," I responded.

Four turned me around to look at him. "You know where Sarah is?" he asked, a near-wild look in his eyes.

"Yes, we'll find her." To the rest of our group, I said, "All companions except Ace, Jamie, and Bashir will follow Susan to the TARDIS." I added, "No arguments, please," when I saw Tegan and Rose about to complain to their Doctors.

"Who are you, giving all the orders?" challenged Six.

"I'm you, whether you like or not," was my answer before I kissed Susan on her forehead and told the other companions to go. Even though Six had been told this earlier, he was still speechless. "Don't worry, Six, if everything goes right, I'll go right back to the woman whose body this is." I told him. I led on to that damned white room.

When we were nearly there, a reptilian noticed us and called for help. The resulting fight with twelve hunters was thankfully short. We left their unconscious and dead bodies on the floor and hurried on. I noticed that Ace had picked up one of their small firearms.

When we came to the door of the white room, I stopped and said, "Only Four and I should go in."

Four looked to me, as though for a clue as to what he might find inside. I sadly shook my head and activated the door.

The fourth Doctor gasped upon entering when he saw our Sarah Jane, naked, unconscious, and as far down in the hanging chains as the restraints would let her go. We hurried to her. Four held her against him as I undid the manacles with the Force. Four gently lowered Sarah to the floor to thoroughly see what the Master had done to her. He didn't stop the tears from splashing onto her naked body. He took off his coat and scarf and wrapped them around her. "How dare he do this," Four growled, tenderly picking Sarah up and cradling her close. He kissed her forehead and whispered, "Sarah, it's me. It's the Doctor." He shook his head. "Tengu, what else did the Master do to her?"

"I'll tell you later. Right now, we have to find the Master. I'm sure he knows we're all together."

Four nodded. I followed him out the door. I ignored the shocked gasps of all the Doctors and the three companions. I said, "Jamie, Bashir, Ace, take Sarah to the TARDIS. Ace, you'll lead the way."

"I don't know where the TARDIS is," Ace replied.

"Focus. You can sense it, like Susan."

The girl closed her eyes for a few seconds and nodded. Four kissed Sarah's brow and placed her into Jamie's arms. I told the companions, "Go, hurry."

They nodded and rushed away. Eight turned to me and asked, "So, where's the Master?"

"This way," I answered, staring to run. Four kept pace with me, the other Doctors not far behind.

We came to a long corridor. We saw the Master at the end of it. Unfortunately, reptilians blocked the way. But, Four and I didn't stop. Spurred on by our desperation and pure hatred of the boy-faced Time Lord, the two of us kept running. We bowled some hunters over, and ducked and weaved our way through the hallway.

The Master noticed our determination and bolted into another corridor. Four and I gave chase, ignoring the cries of, "Tengu, Four, stop!" of the other Doctors as they engaged with the reptilians.

Now that Four and I had seen our worst enemy, nothing else mattered. The only thing that made sense was the total annihilation of Koschei, the man who had once been our best friend. We chased him through several hallways and rooms. He stopped and turned to aim his laser screwdriver at us in a T-junction. He fired twice and missed. Four tackled him into the wall and grabbed his throat. I extended my claws and put them under the Master's chin. They punctured his skin and orange-red blood trickled down the metal to my hands. Fear was the only emotion on the Master's face.

"Give us a reason why we shouldn't tear your mind to shreds," Four and I hissed in unison.

The Master's fear melted away. "Because, my dear Doctors, it probably wouldn't do you any good. But, go ahead, tear my mind to shreds if you want."

"Why have you done this? Why Sarah?" Four shouted.

"Revenge. What better reason is there? Oh yeah, I also knew that I would win."

"Win? You call having two angry Time Lords at your throat winning?" I inquired.

The Master simply shrugged. Four and I glanced at each other and nodded. We prepared ourselves for making mind contact with the Master and destroying him when eight voices behind us cried, "No!"

Four and I turned to face our other selves in annoyance. "Why?" was our question.

"Because, this is exactly what he wants," Three said.

Four and I turned back to the Master, about to deliver on our threat. Make Koschei suffer for what he did to our Sarah. Avenge her, and destroy his mind. Killing him would be merciful, and Koschei didn't deserve mercy.

"Please, don't do this," Five begged.

"This would be his ultimate victory," said Seven.

"It will destroy you, and ultimately, all of us," One told us.

My hands shook as I removed my claws from the Master's neck. Four's hands also shook when he loosened his grip. "They're right," we whispered together.

The Master took advantage of this and dashed to the right. Two and Six started giving chase when the unmistakable engine sounds of a departing TARDIS faded.

Four and I stared at our hands. Some of the Master's blood had dripped onto his as well. Our bodies shook and our breathing became erratic. We swayed at the realization of what we had nearly done. After a moment, our legs gave out. Three and Nine caught us before we hit the floor.

I buried my face into Three's velvet jacket and cried. I heard Four doing the same into Nine's leather jacket. Three whispered to me, "Hush, it's all over now. He's gone. We're fine. We'll all be alright."

I looked up at a sudden loud rumble. It was quickly followed by more.

"Damn," said Eight. "He'll bring the whole fortress down on our heads."

Without further prompting, we ran for our lives as chunks of ceiling rained down. Five made it to the TARDIS first and opened the door. Once we had all stumbled in, Susan and Ace started the TARDIS dematerialization sequence. Four and I didn't care, though. We kept running to the infirmary.

Rose stopped us before the two of us could barge through the infirmary door. She said, "You can't go in. Grace is treating Ian and Barbara, and Julian is treating Sarah. They can't be bothered right now. I'm sorry."

With a nod of acknowledgement, Four and I sank down into the sofa. If I were thinking straight, I would have wondered where it came from and why it was in the hallway. Convinced that we wouldn't try to get inside the infirmary, Rose left.

Four shifted until we was lying on the sofa, his long legs dangling over the armrest and his head in my lap, staring at the opposite wall.

Long silent moments passed before Four said quietly, "It was an obvious trap."

"Yet, it was so damn easy to run headlong into it," I continued.

""We were so close to the point of no return."

"One more step, and we would have changed the rest of our incarnations."

"We would have become like Koschei himself. Worse even, I fear."

"But, the game is still being played."

"It's Sarah's move now, isn't it?"

I gravely nodded.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

We were silent for the undeterminable amount of time until Doctor Bashir stepped out of the infirmary and took a deep breath.

"Ian and Barbara will be fine, given a bit of time to recover," he reported.

"And Sarah?" Four and I asked in unison.

Bashir bit his bottom lip, a sign that he was about to deliver undesirable news. "Physically, I believe she'll make a full recovery. Psychologically… I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Four stood and nearly shouted.

"I don't know," Bashir repeated. "The Master did something to her mind. I don't know if he invaded it or what. All I know is that Sarah is in a deep, nearly brain-dead coma. And there is nothing I can do about it."

"He did," I softly said.

"What?" asked Bashir and Four.

"Koschei… During Sarah's punishment, she retreated to a safe place in her mind. Koschei noticed. He entered her mind, and destroyed that sanctuary. In his madness, he must have caused other damage as well," I explained, a tear running down my cheek.

"What would happen if one of you entered her mind to help?" inquired Bashir.

"As much as I want to, I know that doing so will make it worse," Four replied, sitting back down next to me.

Bashir crouched down in front of us and lowered his head. "I don't know what to do. I've had patients in comas before, but not like this."

"It's completely up to Sarah now," Four and I said together.

Bashir nodded. "Still, I'll do my best," was his reply before going back into the infirmary.

A short time later, we were allowed in. Four's coat and scarf were draped over a chair. The three patients were clothed in simple white gowns. But, unlike Sarah, Ian and Barbara were both conscious and conversing with Grace. I noticed that Ian and Sarah did have matching thick bandages around their right hands and wrists.

Four dropped into the chair at Sarah's bedside. I kneeled down next to him. He took Sarah's unbandaged hand between both of his. I layed my own hand on top. Sarah seemed so small and vulnerable, so pale and lifeless.

Bashir said quietly to us, "Her broken bones should be healed within a couple of days. Except for her hand. That'll take some days longer, since it was set wrong and repeatedly abused. The burns and whip cuts should be healed by then as well."

Four and I nodded in acknowledgement and set our attention back on our Sarah Jane. I didn't know how much time passed before I got the feeling that I was intruding on Four's grief. With reluctancy, I rose and started out the door.

"Tengu," called Ian. "What happened after you found her?"

"Koschei got away," I answered.

"Aren't we going to go after him?" asked Barbara.

"Even if we knew where and when his Paradox Machine went, I believe we shall drop all the Doctors and companions off where they were picked up."

"We're just going to give up?" Ian replied.

"It's not our fight."

"Not our fight? That psychopath-"

"Will eventually be dealt with, but not by any of us," I responded before going out the door. I slid down the wall right outside the infirmary and hugged my knees. A few minutes later, Bashir came out and sat next to me.

He asked, "What's wrong?"

"Bashir…" I took a deep breath. "Julian, I feel like… like I should be the one in there, holding Sarah's hand, praying to Rassilon for her to come back to me, to not leave me. But, I know that I'm not the Doctor… but, I also know that I am."

Julian didn't reply. Instead, he put his arm around me and pulled me close.

"Julian, I want to go home… But, I don't know if the TARDIS is my home, or if DS9 is."

"I guess that depends on… who you are after all this is over. Tengu, do you know what will happen to the Master?"

"I believe that he'll get what he deserves. Julian, Four and I… we almost destroyed Koschei's mind. So great was our grief and rage."

"It's over now. The other Doctors stopped you before you did it."

My eyes widened. "That was my purpose. That's why Koschei brought me here."

"What?"

"He must have thought that by hurting Sarah, he'd hurt me as well as Four. So that, when we found him, Four and I would feed off of each other's feelings and not be able to control ourselves."

Julian let out a low whistle. "He had this whole thing planned out, didn't he? Every last detail."

"Yes, Koschei always was a master of manipulation. He also had a back-up plan. In case we did stop ourselves from destroying him, he brought literally brought Sarah into the playing field. He has brought her close to death, and put her in this coma. If she dies, or loses herself in all her anguish…"

"Al we did would be for nothing," Julian concluded. "But, where has he gone?"

"Don't ask that. None of us are meant to defeat Koschei."

"If nine Doctors can't, who can?"

"That hypothetical real tenth Doctor who Koschei did all this to destroy?" I suggested. "Still, Sarah's life is the key to either scenario. If she lives, and doesn't sink into despair, the Doctor will have the psychological strength he needs to win. If Sarah dies, the advantage goes to Koschei."

"But, what can we do here and now?"

"At the moment, nothing. It's completely up to my Sarah Jane."

We sat in silence for a few minutes. Jo approached and said, "There you are. Nine wanted me to tell you that he's going to start dropping us off tomorrow."

"Thanks, Jo." I turned to Julian and said, "I think I shall go try to sleep."

"Good luck with that," Julian replied as I got up and walked away.

Sleep did not come. Images constantly played through my mind. Images of my Sarah Jane in the hands of my former friend Koschei. Images of the darkness that resided inside me, inside the Doctor.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Over the next five days, five of the eight Doctors that didn't belong, and their companions left. Julian had to assure Grace multiple times that he could take care of Sarah, Ian, and Barbara on his own, now that the crises was over. Seven, One, and Four were the ones still with us. Ian and Barbara, though much better than they had been after our escape, were still unhealthy enough to go.

Sarah was still in a deep coma. Most of her injuries were nearly healed. The Fourth Doctor never left her side. He and I lost a little hope each day.

I was in the console room with Seven and Rose. I didn't realize that I had been blankly staring at the scanner until Rose snapped her fingers in front of my eyes. "Sorry," I said.

"What's wrong?" inquired Rose.

"Other than Sarah being in a coma and the fate of all the Doctors hanging in the balance? Other than that, nothing's wrong." I stopped myself from telling her that, while sitting at Sarah's bedside with Four last night, I had a very horrible vision.

Julian rushed in at that moment. "Four and Sarah are gone," he informed. "I'm certain he took her somewhere. I started looking on my own, but this ship is like a maze, and I didn't know where to go."

I sighed. "I know exactly he'll have taken her. I'll talk with him, alone." I jogged to the arbitorium.

I weaved through the trees and other various plant life to a bench in the center of the room. As I had expected, Four was sitting on the stone surface, cradling our Sarah Jane in his arms. I said in greeting, "Julian isn't fond of his patients suddenly disappearing."

"This is her favorite room in the TARDIS," Four reflected. "She told me so right before we met you as a child. I thought… maybe… she'd prefer to wake up here."

I sat down next to him and leaned in to kiss Sarah's forehead. Her right hand was still lightly bandaged.

"Tengu, you saw something last night, didn't you? I noticed the way you stared at her, with grieving eyes. What's going to happen to her?"

"Doctor-"

"Show me, please. I need to see."

I let out a long exhale, then leaned over to press my forehead against Four's. Once the mental link established, I began to share the vision I had had last night with him.

_A couple of days after leaving the ninth Doctor's TARDIS, the fourth Doctor's TARDIS landed near a town settled on the edge of a purple-leaved forest. _

_Inside the ship, the Doctor leaned over the white hexagonal console to check some readings. Sarah Jane Smith was curled up on a chair, asleep under a blanket. Her hand was still wrapped under a layer of bandages. _

_Sarah suddenly started to violently shiver and moan in her sleep. The Doctor called her name and rushed to her side._

"_Sarah," he repeated, holding her tightly against him. "Sarah, come back to me. Please, he's not here. He can't hurt you. Please, Sarah…"_

_With a scream, Sarah jerked from the land of nightmares. Terrified, she managed to push the Doctor away and made for the double doors. When they didn't open, she sank to the floor and cried. _

_The Doctor slowly approached, not wanting to frighten her any more than she already was. "Sarah, please, don't be afraid. He can't hurt you any more," he whispered, falling to his knees beside her and cradling her in his arms. _

_Sarah tightly clutched the Doctor's scarf and jacket. "He's there," she sobbed. "In my mind, in my nightmares. He'll never go away."_

"_Sarah, we'll get through this together, understand?"_

"_I-I don't think I can,"_

"_Sarah, please, you must try. I'll do whatever I possibly can to help you." _

_Sarah nodded and buried her face in the Doctor's jacket._

_About a week later, the Doctor awakened from his sleep to find Sarah missing. He called out her name a few times before deciding to venture outside the TARDIS. He saw telltale signs of a person in a rush to go through the nearby forest. The Doctor ran, following the trail. _

_He stopped when he finally found Sarah Jane sitting on a rock, a small blade in her hands. Six crimson bleeding cuts on her arm contrasted with her pale skin. Her tears mixed with the blood. She positioned the blade to make another engraving in her flesh. _

_The Doctor grabbed her hand and kneeled down in front of her. "What are you doing?" he demanded._

"_Dealing with it," was Sarah's simple answer._

"_Sarah, this isn't the way to deal with it."_

"_I knew you wouldn't understand."_

"_Don't do this. Please, don't do this. Let me keep helping you."_

"_That's not working, Doctor."_

"_Give it time, I beg of you."_

"_Time? Time… it will never erase what he did to me. It will never erase what I did to Ian and Barbara. Your precious time won't help me." _

"_Sarah, come back to the TARDIS with me."_

"_I can't."_

"_Why not?"_

"_I can't. I can't go back. It's… it's too much for me."_

"_Sarah-"_

"_No, Doctor. You can't help me anymore. I'm leaving you now. I have to. I can't take it anymore."_

_The Doctor didn't wipe away the tears on his face. "Where will you go?"_

"_The locals seem friendly enough. I'm sorry, but I need to be alone now."_

"_Solitude isn't going to help while you're in this condition."_

"_I've made my decision, Doctor. My advice to you is: forget about me."_

"_What? I-"_

_Sarah silenced him with a finger to his lips. "Forget about me," she repeated. "Forget all about the adventures we had. Forget about all the time we shared." Sarah bit her lip and tried in vain to hold back the coming tears. "There are other people out there, waiting to be shown the wonders of the cosmos. There is nothing more you can do for me, except leave me behind, in your past."_

"_Sarah, I can't. I-I love you."_

"_I know. But you must forget that love. Forget the love you feel for the young investigative journalist who stowed away on your ship." Sarah stood, and the Doctor followed suit, not wanting to let go. "I'm going now. Please, don't follow me, or interfere with my life here." _

"_Sarah-"_

"_I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," the young woman said, lightly brushing his lips with hers. "Good-bye, Doctor." With that, Sarah Jane broke away and ran in the direction of the town. _

_The Doctor stood statue still for a long moment, then sank down onto the rock. "Forget you, Sarah Jane Smith? That is an impossible task. No. I will watch over you."_

_Centuries later. _

_A young dark-skinned woman turned into an alleyway on her walk home after a long day of training to be a doctor. She gasped at the sight of three bloody figures on the ground, bathed in the harsh glow of the street lamp. She kneeled next to one and checked his pulse. "Oh my God," she breathed. "They're dead." She took out her mobile phone and flipped the top open. _

_The young woman was about to start dialing a number when a voice behind her said, "That would be a very bad idea."_

_She sharply inhaled in fright and turned around. A tall thin man with spiky brown hair, wearing a bloodstained tan suit stood over her. His eyes only showed loneliness and madness. "Oh my God, you killed them. Are you going to kill me?"_

_In answer, the man yanked her up to her feet and pitched her towards an upturned crate. "Sit," he ordered._

_Terrified, the woman did as he said. The man asked, "What is your name?"_

"_M-Martha Jones," she stammered. "Who… who are you?"_

"_Who am I indeed?" The man sat on the crate across from her. "Someone once said that I __am like fire and ice and rage. I'm like the night, and the storm in the heart of the sun. I'm ancient and forever. I burn at the center of time and I can see the turn of the universe. I am called the Doctor, but those who know me call me the Oncoming Storm."_

"_Why did you kill those people?"_

"_Why? They annoyed me."_

"_They annoyed you? That's no reason to murder them."_

"_Martha Jones, I no longer have a purpose, or any patience, to deal with people like that."_

"_But-"_

"_You are afraid, but still curious about me," the tenth Doctor stated. "You want to know why, don't you? Why, and how, I came to be like this."_

_Martha hesitantly nodded. _

"_Then, I shall tell you." He took a bloodstained knife from his pocket and started turning it over in his hands. "Like any tragedy, it starts with love. I used to travel with a girl, so long ago. Her name was Sarah Jane Smith. With her, I felt something I had never felt before. But, by the time I realized my feelings for her, and was made known of her feelings for me, it was too late. We were captured by an old enemy of mine, who called himself the Master. He wanted her to join him. She refused, and was tortured for it. After thinking it over, she joined him, but only to get our friends information so that they could rescue us. The Master made Sarah torment two of our captured friends to prove her loyalty. Then, he discovered that she was giving our allies information. He tortured her again, and nearly destroyed her mind in the process." The Doctor glanced up at the distant clap of thunder. "We were rescued, but the Master had already done the damage. I took Sarah to a peaceful settlement, hoping that it would help her. Instead, she left me. I stayed, and watched over her. I was helpless. All I could do was watch her drown in her agony." _

_Martha was too enraptured to even try to shield herself from the rain. "What happened to her?"_

"_Almost a year later, I was walking down the street where she lived. I heard a cry, and burst into her apartment. My Sarah Jane was sprawled on the floor. I kneeled at her side and cradled her in my arms." The Doctor stared at his hands. "Blood from a dozen stab wounds flowed through my fingers. Her last words were, 'I'm sorry, but I can't live anymore. I've tried, but he's always there. Doctor, I love you. Please, forget me.'" The Doctor held up the bloodstained knife. "This was in her hand when she died." _

"_She committed suicide," Martha realized. _

"_Yes, she killed herself. But, in reality, the Master killed her."_

"_You've been searching for him," the young woman stated. "Killing those who got in your way."_

"_Yes. And, I have found him. He will die the same way my Sarah Jane Smith did. I shall torture him into insanity, and watch as he takes his own life with the same blade Sarah did." _

_Now that the story was over, Martha's fear returned. "Are you going to kill me now?"_

"_No, Martha Jones. I shall show you mercy and allow you to live. But, if you report what I've done here tonight, and what I've told you, I will track you down and make you suffer as I will make the Master suffer. Go."_

_Martha got up from the crate and ran for the street. She turned back and said, "I am so sorry for you." Then she vanished into the rainy night._

_The Doctor picked up a soggy paper with 'Vote Saxon' typed in bold black letters. "Soon, Koschei. Soon, I will avenge Sarah. And, maybe… peace will return to me."_


	19. Chapter 19

I'm sorry for not updating earlier. I just started university 2 weeks ago. Hmmmm… I'm wondering why no one has reviewed lately… on with the story.

Chapter 19

"No!" the fourth Doctor cried. "I won't accept that. I can't. There must be something we can do to stop that future."

"What do you think I did all last night? I was thinking of a way to prevent it."

"And…?"

"And… I don't know yet."

We both pondered for a few minutes. Finally, Four said, "Tengu, you have telepathic powers past me, and any of my other selves."

"I know. I've been thinking what I could do that you can't."

"What about her memories?"

"What?"

"If Sarah doesn't remember what the Master did-"

"Then she won't feel the agony and…" I decided not to say what had happened in the vision. "That's a good idea, but how safe is it?"

We were silent for a moment. "Tengu, you would have to do it," stated Four. "In my… anguished condition, I'd probably make it worse."

"But, I've never attempted anything like this before. I don't know if I can do a memory wipe."

"Tengu, please, you're my only hope. I trust you with our lives."

I let out a deep exhale. "You do realize that I shouldn't erase everything that happened in the Death Zone from her mind."

"Why?"

"Sarah is a curious girl, and will wonder why she can't remember a whole two weeks of her life. She'll figure that it's something you don't want to tell her."

"And she'll try to find out on her own."

"Exactly. I say that we erase the more traumatic events."

"Both torture sessions and her tormenting Ian and Barbara have to go."

I shook my head. "The first session has to stay. How else will you explain her injuries?"

"Damn. Alright. Will you erase the Master's discovery of her betrayal?"

I nodded. "Give me an hour to prepare myself."

Four gravely nodded and turned his full attention to the young comatose woman in his arms. I silently bowed out of the arbitorium and retreated to my room. Julian came in a few minutes later.

"Well?" he prompted.

"We're- I'm going to erase some of Sarah's memories of the Death Zone. When she wakes up after that… she shouldn't be the suicidal girl from my vision."

"Suicidal?"

"Yes. That leads to the Doctor spending the rest of his lives searching for the Master and peace of mind, as an avenging angel."

Julian emitted a low whistle as he sat on the bed next to me.

"Exactly."

"When are you going to do this memory wipe?"

"An hour from now. I'm about to mentally prepare myself."

"Right," Julian replied before standing up. "I'll leave you to it."

I grabbed his shirt and pulled him back down. "Julian," I whispered, staring into his eyes. I saw the sadness in them, and, for the first time since I had 'regenerated,' understood the reason for that deep sorrow.

"Julian," I whispered again. "It's me. I'm Tengu now. The Doctor is still in my mind, but only a small part."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to kiss me, then apologize and call me Turlough, or Jamie, or whoever."

"I won't," I promised, brushing against his lips with mine. After we pulled away, Julian held me close to him and whispered, "I have never felt so helpless in my life. I could do nothing but watch as you steadily lost your mind."

"Julian, you did do something that helped me. You never left my side. You didn't leave me to face the demons of my- of the Doctor's minds alone."

"Like when we first met," my husband replied.

"Exactly."

Nearly forty-five minutes later, Julian and I were startled from our meditation by a shriek of panic, which soon was followed by a distant shout of "Sarah!"

Julian and I made it out the door of our room in time to crash into Four. "What happened?" I asked, picking myself up from the floor.

"Sarah woke up. She panicked and managed to knock me over," Four quickly explained.

I nodded and ran, matched by pace by Four. Our path led us through the seeming maze of corridors. I suddenly stopped and flung my arms out to halt Four and Julian. We were near the console room. At the turn of this hallway was Sarah Jane, being cradled in the arms of Ace. The frightened young woman clutched Ace's black bomber jacket with her hand in a grasp that left her knuckles white. Four, Julian, and I slowly approached. We couldn't afford to scare Sarah away now.

"Ace, are you also trapped here? In the Master's TARDIS?" Sarah's voice wavered with dread.

"Sarah," Ace gently addressed. "Sarah, this isn't the Master's TARDIS. It's the Doctor's."

Sarah shook her head and cried into Ace's chest. "He won't let me go. I'm in his ship. He's in my mind…"

"Damn. I should have thought of that," I remarked.

"Why does she think this is the Master's TARDIS?" asked Julian.

"Koshei's current TARDIS is a future version of this one. The two are almost identical," I answered. "This might make our jobs harder."

"He won't let me go… He's in my mind and won't go away…" Sarah sobbed. Ace kissed her hair and held her close.

Four and I silently kneeled in front of the two girls. Four tenderly said Sarah's name.

Sarah's reaction was panic. She shrieked and clung even tighter to Ace. "No, please! Ace, don't let him get me! I can't go through it again!"

"Sarah… it's not the Master. It's your Doctor, and Tengu."

"… trick…"

"No, it's not a trick. Look at them, Sarah."

The frightened young woman slowly turned her head to see the fourth Doctor and me. Four held out his hand to her. Sarah hesitantly took it and stared into his eyes. "Doctor?" she sought for assurance.

"Yes, Sarah, it's me."

After an uncertain moment, Sarah glanced to Ace, who nodded, before going to her Doctor. She buried her face in his chest and cried.

"It's alright. I'm here," Four reassured.

"He-he's in my head… Please… make him go away…" Sarah pleaded.

"Doctor," I addressed. "Now would be the best time to do it."

"Now? While she's awake?"

I nodded.

"Do what? Wh-what are you going to do to me?" Sarah sobbed.

I kneeled down at her side and tenderly laid my hand on her forehead. I knew she wouldn't like this. "Sarah, I'm going to go inside your mind and-"

"No! He did that. I-I can't… I can't let you. D-Doctor, please…"

Four's normally smooth rich voice cracked. "Sarah, I would never let anyone hurt you. Trust me. Trust Tengu. This is the only way to help you."

Sarah vigorously shook her head. "Please… let's get out of here. We're in the Master's TARDIS… He'll find us. He-He'll hurt me again. Please, Doctor…"

"Sarah Jane Smith, listen to me," Four urgently said. "You are in my TARDIS, in my arms. The Master-"

Sarah shrieked at the name and clung even tighter to her Doctor.

Four continued. "He will never hurt you again. Do you understand? You need to let Tengu-"

"No, I-I can't. It hurts so much…"

Julian crouched by me and whispered in my ear, "I don't want to suggest this, but maybe it would be easier to do this forcefully or by knocking her out with a hypospray."

I shook my head. "She needs to be conscious and willing for this to go smoothly and with no side-effects," I explained.

Four replied, "Then I guess that hypnotism is out of the question."

"She wouldn't let you do it anyway. You need to calm her enough for me to enter her mind."

Sarah continued sobbing into her Doctor's chest. Suddenly, her whimpering heightened in pitch. "It hurts…" she moaned.

"Sarah, where does it hurt?" Four gently inquired.

"Everywhere… my head… inside my head…"

"Do you want the pain to stop?"

"Please… make it go away…"

"For me to do that, you're going to have to be calm and let Tengu-"

"… can't do that… must be another way…"

"Sarah, there is no other way to make him go away. You have to trust me…"

"…can't… hurts so much…"

The Doctor started rocking Sarah in his arms and humming a slow tune. The hum turned to words.

"No more talk of darkness,

Forget these wide-eyed fears,

I'm here, nothing can harm you,

My words will warm and calm you…"

Sarah's grip tightened at the somehow familiar words being sung by that rich baritone voice.

"Let me be your freedom,

Let daylight dry your tears,

I'm here, with you, beside you,

To guard you and to guide you…"

Sarah recognized the song. She pressed her face into Doctor's chest and hummed along.

"Let me be your shelter,

Let me be your light,

You safe , no one will find you,

Your fears are far behind you…"

By now, Sarah's hold on the Doctor's jacket loosened. There was a serene half-smile on her face. Her eyes were closed, but she was still awake.

"Nice," Julian commented. "I didn't know you could sing."

"Neither did I. Are you ready, Tengu?"

I nodded. I closed my eyes, pressed my forehead to Sarah's, and opened my mind. I was expecting some form of resistance, but was met with none. Despite the struggle to calm her, she completely trusted the Doctor.

Despite Sarah Jane's outward calmness, her mind was a raging volcano, with despair, grief, and anger erupting. I set to work, and the time spent erasing the necessary memories was unknown. I left behind the memories that I knew she could deal with.

Satisfied and hopeful, I went back to my own body and opened my eyes. I leaned back to study the result.

Sarah's eyes slowly opened. Her content lazy smile drifted up to her Doctor. "Hello, Doctor. Where am I?"

"We're in Nine's TARDIS."

"I wonder…" Sarah yawned. "I wonder where we're going now."

"You're going to bed."

"I'm not tired," Sarah tried to stifle another yawn. She didn't protest when Four scooped her into his arms and picked her up. She wrapped her arm around his neck and snuggled closer. "…not tired…" she mumbled into his chest.

Four smiled fondly down at Sarah and said, "You're going to bed now. I'll still be here when you wake up."

Sarah let out a tired moan into her Doctor's chest. Julian accompanied them to the infirmary. I went to the console room. Ace had beat me there, and had already told everyone there most of what had happened.

"Is Sarah alright?" inquired a very concerned Barbara.

"We'll find out when she wakes up," I answered.


	20. Chapter 20

Second-to-last chapter. Please review.

Chapter 20

Sarah was alright when she did awaken about six hours later. She was a little shaken by what she did remember of the events in the Death Zone, but I knew she could handle it. In her mind, I left everything that happened before she was captured, the first time the Master had tortured her, her decision to join the Master to get us information, and her acquiring the information we needed. She wouldn't ever know that the Master had discovered her true intentions. She wouldn't remember that moment when she and her Doctor said those three words to each other.

By now, we had dropped off Seven and Ace. The ninth Doctor was setting the coordinates for One, Susan, Ian, and Barbara. Once Nine said it was a success and opened the doors, I shook the original Doctor's hand.

"Good-bye, my dear," he said.

I grinned. "Good-bye, Doctor. As much as I like you, I really don't want to be you again."

"I should hope not. Although, I must say, I liked you the best out of all my future selves."

Nine looked up from the console. "Fine then, be that way. I wasn't too fond of you either," he joked.

With a small bow, the first Doctor went outside the open doors. My arms were instantly filled by Susan. She laughed, "I'll miss you… Grandfather."

"Who are you calling old? I'm only six years older than you." I kissed her forehead and sent her after her grandfather. I turned to Ian and Barbara, and pulled them both into a hug. I kissed their cheeks and said to Barbara, "Make sure Ian doesn't overstress his hand just yet. I'm sure he'd like the use of it when you two get home."

"Wait a minute. When we get home? Not if?" Ian asked.

"Slip of the mind and tongue. Good-bye."

"Good-bye, Tengu," the teachers replied before running after One and Susan.

As the TARDIS doors closed, I heard Ian say, "Doctor, why can't your ship get places and times right, and his can?"

"Young man, what's life without a bit of surprises? Now come along."

I nodded to Nine and Rose and went to the infirmary to check on Sarah. I ran into Julian along the way. "Bashir, where's Sarah?" I asked.

With a slight wince when he heard his name, Bashir answered, "In the arbitorium."

"Thanks," I replied.

I jogged to the room filled with trees and other flora. I slowly approached the couple. Sarah was lying in his lap. The fourth Doctor's back was against the bench. The young woman's eyes were closed, but she wasn't asleep.

"Doctor," I addressed. "Do you mind if I talk with Sarah, alone?"

Four looked down to the girl in his lap. "Sarah, Tengu wants to talk to you alone. Do you mind?"

Sarah opened her eyes and smiled up at her Doctor. She shook her head. "I'll be fine."

With that, Four got up and left. I joined Sarah on the grassy ground and, now that I was alone with her, desired her touch. I needed her touch. I clenched my fist and hung my head low.

"Hey, are you alright?" asked Sarah.

I raised my head and ran my hands through my hair. "Yeah. It's just… a lot has happened."

"I don't know half of what happened. All the Doctor has told me so far is that the Master drugged me, and it kept me out for a few days. Next thing I know, I wake up in this TARDIS, which the Doctor assures me is a future version of his. Still, it is very similar to the Master's."

"That's because his is a future version of this one."

"I see."

I took a deep breath to calm my rapid heart- wasn't I supposed to have two? "Sarah, may I see your hand?"

Sarah glanced at her bandaged hand. "Julian and the Doctor have already checked it. It's healing fine."

"Doesn't hurt to triple-check," I replied as she moved closer and held out her hand. I unwrapped the bandaged and said, "Tell me if anything hurts," before I started to gently press on various spots of her hand. I started with the fingers, which had no pain involved. It was when I moved to the palm that Sarah hissed and winced. I commented, "Still a little tender." I raised her hand to my lips and tenderly kissed it. At Sarah's puzzled expression, I stopped and started wrapping the bandage back around her hand. I didn't notice my tears until Sarah mentioned them.

"Tengu, are you crying?" she inquired.

I absent-mindedly wiped away the tears and said, "I'm sorry. It's difficult to take what hap- what could have happened to you." I inhaled deeply. "Sarah, you must understand this. When I regenerated into the Doctor, my mind was a mix of all of them- him. When you were captured, it became mostly the mind of your Doctor. His thoughts and feelings… I became obsessed with finding you. No one else really mattered."

"You're feeling like him now, aren't you? I thought that the TARDIS would have turned you back to your regular self."

"So did I, but it seems to be keeping it all there. But, right now, I don't really care. What matters is that you're leaving me, and I'm not sure how to deal with that. I feel that it's wrong, that I should be travelling across the stars with you. I know I'm not the Doctor, but I feel as though I am. I know your place is with him, but I feel your place is with me. After you leave, I don't know if he- if I will be at peace, if I'll ever truly accept it."

Sarah pulled me into a tight embrace. I buried my face into her hair, and didn't care about the oncoming tears. I nearly said those three eternal words. I stopped myself with the reasoning that her Doctor would tell her, that it wasn't my place.

I finally said, "I hate good-byes."

"So do I. Will I see you again?"

"I'm not supposed to tell you the future. But, I would very much like to see you again, Sarah Jane."

"I'd like to so you again, as well. Maybe we will."

"Yes, maybe we will."

We held each other for minutes longer before I let go and said, "Go on. He'll be getting worried about you now."

Sarah nodded and started to get up. She halted halfway and stared at me. She cupped my chin in her hand and leaned forward. I closed my eyes as Sarah planted a lingering kiss on my cheek. I took a deep breath to control my desire to grab her and kiss her passionately. When she pulled away, I stared up. My eyes followed her out the door.

Alone among the grass and plants, I leaned back against the bench and allowed the tears to flow down my face.

Hours later, everyone had gathered in the console room to drop off our last passengers. Once Nine pronounced that we were almost there, I gestured for Four to come speak with me. He left Sarah and Rose to talk among themselves.

"Yes, Tengu?" he asked.

I said quietly, "Doctor, after her first session with the Master, I gave her a way to deal with anything else that might have happened. I created a place in her mind for her to go to. That place is a deserted cove near the city of Mishna on the planet Barcelona. Despite your TARDIS' unreliability, she will take you there next."

Four nodded. "Thank you for all you've done for her. Oh, did you ever figure out your purpose in the Death Zone?"

"I was there to be influenced by your feelings for Sarah and make you feed off of them and get you to destroy yourself while trying to destroy him."

"Damn. It was fortunate that my other selves were stronger than us."

"Yes. Well, Doctor, good-bye. Take care of her for me. Sarah needs a proper long holiday. Barcelona is a good place for that."

"Don't worry, Tengu, I'll take care of her the best I can." Four pulled me into a tight hug and lifted me off the ground.

"Are you two ready to go?" Nine asked. "We're there." After all the handshakes and hugs, the doors opened. The fourth Doctor took Sarah's hand and stepped out into the forest meadow. I leaned against the TARDIS doors and watched them go until they were out of sight.

Julian placed his hand on my shoulder. He asked, "Will you ever see her again?"

"No."

"How does the Doctor feel about that?"

I half-smiled. "I… He knows that she is with the man she should be. He has accepted it, and though he feels grief that she cannot be with him, he is… at peace."

Julian tapped my shoulder. I looked up and saw his smile. "Come on, our stop is next."


	21. Epilogue

And here I am at the end of another story. Hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing.

Epilogue

I.

True to his word, the Doctor got Julian and me back to DS9 eight days after we had left. My friends all noticed a change in me. According to Ezri Dax, below my outward playfulness and happiness, I was grieving for something. Everyone asked about this, but I only told Tholme what had happened. I knew that, given time, the Doctor's minds and personalities would leave me, for the most part. I had spent too much time as the Doctor, and realized that I'd always have part of him with me. Sometimes I'd get confused about where my companions were, or I'd say things that the Doctor would say. Those episodes gradually lessened.

It was now a month after we had come back. It was three in the morning. I hadn't been able to sleep. Feelings and half-remembered dreams that weren't my own were the cause.

I kissed Julian's bare shoulder gently, not wanting to wake him. I got out of the bed and pulled a robe around myself. I had been thinking about her again. One feeling of the Doctor's would never leave me.

I made my way to the window. A tear trickled down my face as I stared out into the cosmos. I pressed my open hand and my forehead against the crystal-clear window.

I whispered to the stars, "Wherever and whenever you are, my Sarah Jane Smith, I love you, and I will never stop loving you."

II.

A blue police box landed on fine white sand. A man wearing red trousers and a white poet's shirt loosely tied at the top stepped out. He glanced around at the small beach cove lit by the double moons and patted the wood of the TARDIS. "Thanks, girl," he said.

The Doctor turned to look inside. "Sarah, come outside, it's beautiful."

A young woman in loose-fitting denim shorts and a button-up short-sleeved shirt came out and stared around. Her eyes widened. She breathed, "Our place." She turned to the Doctor. "We're on Barcelona, aren't we?"

"Yes, Sarah, we are. This is our place." He took her hand and led her down near the tide line. Once in a suitable spot, he sat down. Sarah followed suit.

"So, the TARDIS does actually work," Sarah remarked.

"She goes where she feels she needs to. She felt that we needed to come here, to rejuvenate our spirits."

"You mean a holiday?"

"Exactly."

They sat there for a time, breathing in the sea-scented air. The night was warm, with only a gentle breeze ruffling their hair. Sarah turned to her best friend and asked in a hushed tone, "Doctor, what happened to the Master?"

The Doctor closed his eyes. He took a shuddered inhale. "Sarah, don't ever say his name to me. What he did…"

"Please, tell me. I should know."

The Doctor was silent for a long minute. "He got away."

"He's still out there, somewhere?"

"Yes, but Tengu assured me that he will never lay eyes on you again and that he will be defeated."

Sarah let out her bated breath and lay back on the slightly cool sand. The Doctor did so as well, lying with his hands behind his head. He suddenly pointed to a star.

"Which one is it?" asked Sarah.

"That is part of the constellation of Kasterborous," he explained. "I can't see the rest of it from here."

"Kasterborous? Isn't Gallifrey there somewhere?"

"Yep. Right under… that one." He pointed to another star. "See it?"

"Yeah. Will you ever take me there?"

"The only thing there is a bunch of stuffy stuck-up Gallifreyans. I'm the most exciting Time Lord ever born. Still, I might take you. I guess it is only fair to let you see where I come from."

Sarah nodded. "Hey, I think that's Orion. It looks a bit out of shape."

"Different sky, different astral arrangement."

They spent some time staring up and naming different stars and constellations. After awhile, the Doctor turned onto his side, head propped up by his arm, and turned his attention to his companion. She didn't notice until he said, "I'm more awed by the celestial being next to me."

Sarah turned her head to look at him. It was hard to not notice the expression in her eyes. "Did you just call me a celestial being?" she inquired, not at all upset by it.

"Yes, because you are to me."

"That's the best thing anyone has ever said to me."

"Then, they don't know you like I do."

"Doctor?"

"Sarah…" he whispered. Without warning, the Doctor got up to his feet and stood nearer to the water line. He stared out across the lake.

Concerned, Sarah sat up and asked, "Doctor, are you alright?"

The Time Lord turned with a grin splitting his features. "Alright? I'm more alright than I've ever been."

"What's happened to make you so?"

The Doctor's grin transformed into a thoughtful smile. He dropped to his knees between Sarah's bent legs. The unexpectedness of this made Sarah lie back down. He followed until he was lying on top of her, holding his torso up with his elbows.

"Do you want to know why I feel so good right now?" he asked. Sarah nodded her head.

The Doctor cradled the back of her head with his hands and slightly lifted it. "Because…" He pressed a light kiss on her lips. He pulled away and whispered, "Because… I love you, Sarah."

The young woman stared up into her companion's cerulean eyes. Slowly, she raised her hands, placed the uninjured one on his back, lay the bandaged one in his mass of curls, and pulled his face down to hers. She felt their breath mingle and her lips whisper against his as she breathed, "I love you, Doctor."

Sarah tilted her head back a little and initiated the slow kiss. When the Doctor felt her becoming breathless, he slightly pulled back to allow her to inhale the sea-scented air. A low moan escaped Sarah's throat when his mouth descended to hers again. Though slow, this kiss betrayed the passion between the two travelers.

Mid-way through, without breaking the contact, the Doctor turned them over until she was on top of him. After Sarah surfaced for air this time, she buried her head in his neck and started kissing there. Their hearts began to race. The Doctor felt this and pushed Sarah up until she was straddling his waist. He didn't give her a chance to ask what was wrong before he sat up and started to unbutton her shirt from the top.

Sarah stopped his fingers. "I-I can't do that, not yet." She was still conscious about the still-present burns and whip scars that marred her body.

The Doctor shook his head. "Not that. I need to… please, trust me. I won't hurt you." With Sarah's slow nod, he continued. He tenderly pressed kisses on her neck and down her chest as he undid each button.

The Doctor's hands stopped halfway. He gazed up into the eyes of the Human woman and pushed the shirt down over her shoulders, leaving them, the top of her back, and the top of her chest bare. The Doctor resumed his amorous light kisses, making a path on both shoulders, and down the left side of her chest, and finally came to rest at her heart. His lips stayed there for a moment longer. Then he turned his head and pressed his ear against her skin. A happy smile appeared on his face as her heartbeat echoed in his ears.

"I have never been so happy to hear that sound," the Doctor commented. "I love you so much, Sarah."

Sarah smiled and urged him to lay back down with a gentle push. She copied the Doctor and began kissing his neck and chest as she untied and unlaced his shirt. She separated the two parts until his chest was exposed as well. She also left her lips for long moments over his hearts. She listened to both of his hearts beat slightly out of tandem with each other.

"Yours sound more exciting then mine," remarked Sarah.

The Time Lord grinned, and pulled her up so that they were face-to-face. The Human girl lightly kissed his lips and buried her face in his neck again. She lay fully on top of him. Their bodies were lined up in such a way that the bare skin of their chests made contact.

The Doctor mouthed up to the stars, "Thank you." He focused his attention back to Sarah. He pressed his nose into her hair and inhaled her scent.

At last, with nothing but flesh separating them, the three hearts together completed the music they had begun alone.

III.

The Doctor sighed as he glanced around his newly-repaired TARDIS. It had been so close this time. If it hadn't been for Martha, the world, and ultimately the universe, would have fallen to the Master.

Martha Jones and Jack Harkness emerged from the depths of the space/time ship. Martha had a small bag of her belongings in her hands. Jack had a piece of future technology in his.

"Hey, Doctor, what's this?" he asked. "Martha found it in the infirmary. It doesn't look like part of the TARDIS."

The Doctor took the handheld scanner. "It's a medical scanner from about three hundred years in the future. I guess Doctor Julian Bashir left it by accident."

"When did he travel with you?" asked Martha.

"In my last life."

"Was he attractive?" Jack grinned.

Martha punched Jack's arm. "Anyone is attractive to you."

"His wife, Tengu, was something special."

"How special?" Martha was genuinely interested.

"Due to extraordinary circumstances, she was my tenth self twice."

"I thought you were the tenth Doctor," Jack protested.

"I am. It's a very confusing explanation that deals with telepathy, mind-transfer, personality transfer-"

Martha raised her hand. "Okay, we won't ask."

"Anyway, The Master had an encounter with her and my other nine selves before he came here to try to defeat me."

"Wait a minute, nine and this fake-tenth of you failed to defeat him?" inquired Martha in disbelief.

"What made you think the three of us had a chance?" asked Jack.

"I'm not usually one for destiny and all that, but Tengu said that none of my past selves were meant to defeat him. Tengu and one of them were so close, but to do so would have destroyed him, and all those who came after, myself included."

Martha and Jack worked their way through the pronouns. The woman asked, "But, how could the Master have accomplished that?"

The Doctor smiled. "You know we've already landed. Outside is Torchwood HQ in Cardiff."

"Don't change the subject," Jack objected. "We're really curious."

"Some things are better left untold," the Time Lord replied, his eyes glinting with the essence of eternity.

After saying good-bye to Jack and Martha, the Doctor prepped his ship for another trip. A longer one. He patted the console fondly as it materialized.

The Time Lord opened the door and was met with the sight of an opening wormhole. He leaned against the doorway and stared into the cosmic beauty.

"Thank you, Tengu. Thank you for giving me the strength to defeat the Master. Thank you for keeping me sane in and after the Death Zone. Thank you for everything you've risked for me."

Author's Note: Wow, the second part of this chapter is the most romantic thing I've ever written. But, I think the best part of Tom Baker's go as the Doctor was the time he had Sarah Jane. They have the best Doctor/Companion chemistry and relationship, and I think they deserve a little romance like this, especially in context to the rest of this story.

Now that this story is over (sniff sniff), I can write the rest of Death's Shadow 2: The Place I Called Home. By the way, one of the Doctor/Companion teams will be in that story. Hope you enjoyed reading this one.

Lady Sci-Fi


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